How Safe Are Planes? What the Data Really Says About Flying Today
The fatal crash of a London-bound Air India flight shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad has understandably unsettled many people. With 241 of the 242 passengers and crew on board killed, along with more than 29 people on the ground, it was one of the deadliest aviation accidents in the past two decades. Coming after several other widely reported incidents this year, the tragedy has led many travellers to wonder — quite naturally — whether flying is becoming less safe.
When several air disasters happen within a short period — from the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine, to the TransAsia crash off the coast of Taiwan, to the Algerian airliner that came down in northern Africa — it is completely human to ask whether something has changed, and whether flying has suddenly become more dangerous.
That sense of unease is understandable. But the conclusion many people draw from it doesn’t match what the numbers show.
Statistically speaking, avoiding air travel after such events doesn’t reduce your risk. Emotionally, the fear makes sense. Mathematically, it doesn’t.
Image by Avel Chuklanov from Unsplash.
A shocking crash — and a very human reaction
The Air India accident was especially unsettling because it involved a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the newest and most widely used long-haul aircraft flying today. Since entering service in 2011, the Dreamliner has carried millions of passengers around the world, and until this tragedy it had never been involved in a fatal crash. That strong safety record is one reason the news came as such a shock.
Investigators now have a clearer picture of what happened. Data recovered from the aircraft’s front enhanced airborne flight recorder shows that the crash was caused by a loss of thrust in both engines, after their fuel control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF just three seconds after lift-off. With both engines losing power at such a critical moment, the aircraft was unable to remain airborne.
Aviation experts note that serious accidents are rarely the result of a single, simple issue. Even when an immediate cause is identified, investigators still take months — and sometimes longer — to understand why it occurred, how the systems and procedures responded, and what changes are needed to prevent anything similar from happening again.
In the hours after the crash, speculation ranged from bird strikes to possible design flaws. The flight recorder data has helped narrow the focus of the investigation, and officials stress that conclusions will be based on evidence rather than early assumptions.
When incidents cluster, fear naturally follows
This crash also comes after a number of other widely reported aviation incidents in 2025, including a fatal mid-air collision between an American Airlines regional jet and a US Army helicopter near Washington DC, as well as crashes involving smaller aircraft in Alaska and Philadelphia. There was also a dramatic crash-landing in Toronto, where a Delta regional jet flipped over on a snowy runway — yet, remarkably, every passenger survived.
When events like these happen close together, it’s easy to feel as though something has shifted, and that flying has become less safe. But aviation experts consistently make the same point: high visibility does not mean high risk.
Commercial aviation operates on a vast scale. Last year alone, more than 40 million flights took place worldwide. According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), only seven fatal accidents occurred on commercial aircraft during that time.
For most passengers, flying is — thankfully — uneventful. Planes take off, cruise, land, and the journey is quickly forgotten. Crashes are rare, dramatic and deeply distressing, which is why they dominate headlines and linger in our minds.
This can create a powerful psychological effect: when accidents happen close together, it feels as though the danger has increased, even if the underlying level of risk has not.
What the global numbers actually tell us
Looking at the global data can help put those uneasy feelings into perspective.
Take 2013 as an example. That year, there were around 90 commercial aircraft accidents worldwide — and only nine of them involved fatalities.
On their own, those numbers might sound worrying. But they make much more sense when you see the bigger picture.
In the same year, airlines operated roughly 32 million flights worldwide, according to the International Civil Aviation Organization.
Put another way:
Fewer than one in 300,000 flights was involved in any kind of accident
Only about one in three million flights was fatal
When you step back and look at it like this, the takeaway is reassuringly simple: you are not very likely to have an accident in an airplane.
Flying can feel frightening when rare tragedies dominate the headlines. But measured over millions of journeys, it remains one of the safest things most of us will ever do.
What the UK’s own safety data shows
Closer to home, the picture is even more reassuring.
According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority’s Annual Safety Review 2022 (published in 2023), there has not been a fatal accident involving a UK commercial airline since 1989. That’s more than three decades without a single passenger death on a UK airline.
In 2022, the kind of flying most of us do — scheduled commercial flights — carried over 106 million passengers on roughly 820,000 flights in the UK. Across that entire year, the CAA recorded:
One reportable accident
Eleven serious incidents
No fatalities
No serious injuries
Those numbers aren’t a one-off. Looking across the six years from 2017 to 2022, the data shows that accidents and serious incidents on UK airline flights have remained consistently low — even as passenger numbers have climbed back to pre-pandemic levels.
The CAA also makes an important point that often gets lost in public discussion. Not all flying carries the same level of risk. General aviation — which includes private planes, microlights and flight training — does have a higher accident rate, largely because it involves smaller aircraft and very different conditions. Even then, most incidents don’t result in injuries, and fatal accidents are still rare when measured against the number of hours flown.
So when people talk about “aviation accidents”, they’re often grouping together very different kinds of flying — and very different levels of risk.
Why plane crashes feel scarier than they really are
Plane crashes dominate the news because they are rare, dramatic and shocking. When they happen, they involve many people at once and are reported in detail for days or even weeks.
Road accidents, by contrast, are tragically common. In the UK, around five people die every day in car crashes, yet these deaths rarely make national headlines.
Statistically speaking, the drive to the airport is far more dangerous than the flight itself. Flying feels scary because it’s unfamiliar and out of our control — but by the numbers, it remains one of the safest ways to travel.
Image by Josue Isai Ramos Figueroa from Unsplash.
Europe’s safety record is stronger than ever
For travellers in the UK and across Europe, there’s even more reason for confidence.
According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there have been no fatal airline passenger deaths in Europe since 2018. In fact, by 2023, Europe’s overall accident rate had fallen to the lowest level ever recorded.
To put that into everyday terms: the risk of being involved in a fatal airline accident is so tiny that you’d need to fly every single day for tens of thousands of years before the odds would catch up with you.
So… should passengers be worried?
It’s completely natural to feel unsettled after a tragedy like the Air India crash. When something so sudden and heartbreaking happens, it stays with us.
But when you step back and look at the bigger picture — the data from global organisations like IATA, and from the UK’s own Civil Aviation Authority — the message is consistent and reassuring.
Flying remains one of the safest things most of us will ever do.
One airline pilot summed it up perfectly after watching footage of the dramatic Toronto crash, where a regional jet flipped over on a snowy runway and everyone survived:
“So much could have gone wrong. That everyone walked away was a testament to the strength of the aircraft and the professionalism of the crew.”
Aviation safety is never taken for granted. Every incident is investigated in detail, lessons are learned, and changes are made. That constant cycle of scrutiny and improvement is exactly why flying is so safe today.
For anyone boarding a plane now, the evidence is clear: the system works — and it keeps getting better.
Are modern aircraft safe?
Short answer: yes.
Boeing has been under intense scrutiny in recent years, particularly after the problems involving the 737 Max. Those incidents were traced to very specific software and certification failures — and, crucially, they were identified, corrected and addressed before the aircraft returned to service. Every major aviation regulator around the world has since signed off on the fixes.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which was involved in the Air India crash, has until now had one of the strongest safety records in modern aviation. It has carried millions of passengers since entering service without a fatal accident. That’s why aviation experts strongly warn against jumping to conclusions about design flaws before investigators finish their work.
What about close calls and air traffic control?
It’s true that the aviation system is under pressure. Travel has rebounded quickly since the pandemic, and challenges like air traffic control staffing shortages, busy airspace and ageing infrastructure have all been flagged by regulators.
But this is also where aviation’s safety culture really shows its strength.
In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority uses Mandatory Occurrence Reports (MORs) to track not just accidents, but near-misses and safety-critical events — the things that almost went wrong. These reports are analysed to spot patterns early, tighten regulations and intervene long before passengers are ever put at risk.
According to the CAA’s Annual Safety Review 2022, there were:
No fatal or serious injury incidents involving air traffic management in UK airspace
No reportable accidents linked to air traffic control during the entire year
So while the system isn’t perfect — no complex system ever is — it is constantly monitored, questioned and improved. And for passengers, that means flying remains not just safe, but exceptionally well protected.
From safety in the air to confidence on the ground
Once you understand just how safe modern flying really is, it’s easier to focus on the practical side of travelling — the things that actually affect most passengers day to day.
Even in an industry with an outstanding safety record, air travel can still be unpredictable. Flights get delayed, connections are missed, luggage goes astray and, occasionally, journeys are cancelled altogether. These disruptions are far more likely to affect travellers than any safety issue — which is why understanding your air passenger rights matters.
Whether you’re hopping on a budget flight for a weekend in Europe or flying long-haul with a major airline, strong passenger protection laws apply to most flights departing from or arriving in the UK, the EU, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. These rules exist to make sure you’re treated fairly, no matter who you fly with or how much you paid.
Here’s what those protections can cover:
Flight cancellations: You may be entitled to a full refund or rebooking, and in many cases compensation of up to £520.
Delays of 3 hours or more: Airlines must provide care such as food, refreshments and accommodation where needed, and compensation may also apply
Denied boarding due to overbooking: You’re entitled to immediate compensation and an alternative flight
Baggage problems: Lost, delayed or damaged luggage can often be reimbursed, usually up to around £1,550 under international rules
So once your passport checks out and you head through the airport, you’re not just flying safely — you’re flying informed. Knowing your rights gives you confidence and control, helping you navigate the journey calmly, whatever the travel day throws at you.