Airplanes, as we know, are one of the safest methods of transport in the world, although they also cause the most panic. 2025 has begun with several air accidents that have once again called into question whether air safety is enough or not, and social media has been filled with theories and speculation. Is there reason to worry? Or are we simply alarmed by a mistaken perception?
Experts have tried to shed light on this issue and have analysed data, protocols and technologies that are currently being implemented on flights and the results might surprise you… We are going to tell you the reality of air safety in 2025, the real risks and what measures are being taken. Is the sky safe?
Recent air accidents.
It was earlier this year, on January 29, 2025, when an American Airlines plane collided with a US Army Black Hawk military helicopter. This fateful event took the lives of 67 people, and two days later, in Finland, another plane crashed, leaving 7 dead and 20 injured. With these data, it is normal that all the alarms about air safety have gone off.
On February 2, at Chicago O’Hare Airport, a worker was injured when his vehicle collided with a plane. Just three days later, a Delta Air Lines flight and another Japan Airlines flight collided on the ground at Seattle Airport, although this time, luckily, without injuries.
People: even more nervous
Now, although the plane has always been the safest means of travel, after all these events people feel that travelling is much less safe now, and the cuts and changes of the Trump administration have caused users to not feel as safe as before
What do the data say?
The data analyzed by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics has been data from 2002 to 2022, and the results have been as follows:
- Only 689 people were injured on commercial flights in the US, an average of 33 per year.
- In that same period, 796 deaths were recorded in air accidents, of which only 27% occurred on commercial flights. The vast majority (73%) happened in small, private aircraft.
To put it in perspective, in that same period 552,009 people died in car and truck accidents in the US, (more than 26,000 per year).
So, looking at the data table, it reinforces that travelling by plane is much safer than travelling by car, for example, because the probability of dying in a plane crash remains extremely low.
The 2024 safety report
According to the 2024 Transportation Statistics Report, aviation remains the safest way to travel. In 2022, there were 44,546 deaths in transportation incidents, of which almost all (42,514) occurred in road accidents, but to put things even more into perspective, in 2023 there were no fatalities from commercial airline accidents in the US, reinforcing the idea that these incidents are still exceptional and that we don’t have to worry!
And why are there more incidents now?
Because there have been cuts in the industry (especially due to budget reductions in aviation since the Trump Administration), funding for aircraft maintenance has been reduced, and training for air crews has been cut.
But, there is no need to worry because, despite the cuts, new technologies are being developed to improve safety, such as more modern collision avoidance and the use of artificial intelligence to better prevent mechanical failures.
So, our conclusion (and that of the data agencies) is that air travel is still as safe as ever, but it is very important that neither companies nor governments cut corners. There are many lives at stake every time a plane’s propellers are turned on and it is everyone’s job to get us home safely (just like with any other vehicle). But, it is no less safe to travel now than it was before, so get rid of that fear and tell us what our latest adventure will be!)