Understanding the Fear vs. the Facts
If you’re someone who gets nervous on planes, has panic attacks on planes, or avoids flying altogether — you’re not alone. Fear of flying is one of the most common travel-related anxieties. Turbulence, engine noises, or simply being up thousands of feet in the air can make even experienced travelers tense.
But here’s the surprising truth: your fear of flying rarely matches the actual risk. In reality, flying, especially commercial aviation, is one of the safest forms of transportation in the world.
The Reality: Flying Is Extremely Safe
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), in 2024, more than 5 billion passengers took over 40 million commercial flights worldwide. Out of all those flights, there were only 46 total accidents. Fifteen of them were fatal, resulting in 268 deaths. Only 6 of the fatal accidents were from scheduled passenger flights, the remaining were from nonscheduled passenger flights (i.e., a charter or private flight that an individual(s) or company has control to determine departure times, versus an airline which follows a regular timetable for departures) or cargo operations, which typically do not carry passengers.
Based on these numbers, the accident rate for flying was just 1.13 accidents per million flights, and the fatality risk was 0.06 deaths per million flights. In practical terms, a person would need to fly every day for more than 49,000 years to statistically experience a fatal commercial aviation accident.
Aviation safety has also steadily improved over time. Since 2005, the accident rate has fallen nearly 70%, even though flying was still incredibly safe back in 2005 (3.72 accidents per million flights).
To help put this in perspective, it’s useful to compare flying to another common mode of transportation: driving. According to the World Health Organization, each year car accidents result in 1.19 million deaths and in 20-50 million injuries worldwide. The fatality rate for car travel is 15 deaths per 100,000 passengers, while commercial aviation sees 17 deaths per 1,000,000,000 passengers. This means car travel is thousands of times more dangerous than flying, even though it may feel scarier.
Safety Around the World
Globally, the aviation industry maintains strong safety performance across most regions. Based on data from the IATA Annual Safety Report (2024):
| Region | Number of Commercial Accidents | Accident rate (per one million flights) | Fatality rate (per one million flights) |
| North America | 12 | 1.20 | 0 |
| Latin America & Caribbean | 5 | 1.77 | 0.35 |
| Europe | 9 | 1.02 | 0.03 |
| North Africa & the Middle East | 2 | 1.09 | 0 |
| Africa | 10 | 10.59 | 0 |
| North Asia | 1 | 0.13 | 0 |
| Asia-Pacific | 7 | 1.04 | 0.15 |
Importantly, The Commonwealth of Independent States (the territories formerly known as the USSR) was not included in the table above because there were no reported accidents or fatalities except for one aircraft that was shot down while flying over a conflict zone, meaning it was not the result of aviation safety failure.
Flying in the United States
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, at any given moment, about 5,500 planes are in the air in the US. Every day, more than 45,000 flights carry around 2.9 million passengers.
- In 2024, the National Transportation Safety Bureau recorded 23 accidents across civil aviation (commercial, private, and general aviation) in the US. Only 4 of these accidents were fatal, and none involved commercial passenger airlines. In contrast, car accidents in 2024 resulted in the death of over 39,000 people. While the risk of dying in a plane crash in the US is very rare, it has occurred throughout history, just not as frequently as you may think. In fact, the January 2025 plane-helicopter collision over the Potomac River was the first fatal (74 deaths) US commercial airline crash since 2009. There was a 16-year period without a single commercial passenger fatality. This underscores just how rare commercial aviation fatalities are in the United States.
US private, business, and military aviation are slightly riskier than commercial flights, but are still significantly safer than traveling by car. For example:
- Private and business aviation saw 1,150 accidents, with 191 accidents being fatal resulting in 307 deaths in 2023
- Military aviation experienced a 55% rise in severe accidents (2.02 per 100,000 flight hours) in 2024 compared to rates between 2020-2023 (1.3 per 100,000 flight hours). In particular, helicopter accident rates were 4 times higher than fixed-wing aircrafts.
What Makes Commercial Flying the Safest Ways to Travel?
Pilot training
In order to become an Airline Transport Pilot (who can operate an aircraft with 30+ passengers) in the United States, one must:
- Be at least 23 years old
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or complete a 4-year aviation program accredited by the Federal Aviation Administration
- Accumulate 1,500 flight hours including specific requirements for cross-country, night time, low-visibility conditions, and pilot-in-command (rather than copilot) flying hours
- Pass written and practical exams that cover normal and emergency operations
- Complete mandatory continued education and flight training, including a fight review every 2 years
- Undergo strict medical exams every 6-12 months assessing vision (must be 20/20 and have the ability to see all colors), hearing, cardiovascular health, general physical health, and mental health. Any history of heart disease, epilepsy, substance abuse, psychosis, or personality disorders are all disqualifying conditions.
In comparison, obtaining a driver’s license typically requires:
- Being 16 years old
- Completing 50 hours of supervised driving
- Passing a written test and practical road test
- Passing a vision test (with a minimum of 20/40) every 5 years
The contrast is striking!
Safety regulations
Airlines must provide specialized and rigorous training to pilots and flight attendants, including medical emergency response and safety procedures. Multiple global aviation authorities like the International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Association, Federal Aviation Administration, and European Union Aviation Safety Agency, enforce standardized safety rules and conduct oversight to ensure compliance across all commercial airlines.
From takeoff to landing there are strict checklists to prevent human error that could lead to aviation accidents. This includes but not limited to:
- Cockpit checks before starting engines, taking off, and landing
- Quarterly (500 hours) and annually (1,400 hours) capped flight hours for pilots
- Limits on flight hours per day. For example, within a 24 hour period a single pilot cannot fly more than 8 hours and two pilots may not fly more than 10 hours
- Minimum mandatory rest periods. For example, 10 hours on duty requires a 12 hour rest period before the next flight
Commercial airlines also use Safety Management Systems that analyze data, monitor and log incidents, and address potential hazards before they escalate. Airlines, manufacturers, and maintenance facilities are also subject to routine audits and safety evaluations.
In contrast, the regulatory system for driving is far more lenient. There are no universal standards for how long someone can safely drive their car, no required real-time monitoring of incidents, and many safety practices are reactive rather than preventative. For example, you may get pulled over, receive a ticket, or get into an accident in response to unsafe driving. While traffic laws exist there is no check on individual drivers to follow these laws before or during driving. In fact, even basic safety practices like wearing a seatbelt are not uniformly required across all US states.
Aircraft maintenance
Commercial aircrafts undergo carefully scheduled maintenance far beyond what we expect for personal vehicles. Planes must pass:
- Comprehensive annual inspections with additional, more detailed safety checks every 18-24 months
- Engine safety checks every 400-600 flight hours
- Pre-flight visual inspections to confirm flight readiness before every single departure
The critical systems on aircrafts such as hydraulics, avionics, and electrical power are all redundant, often duplicated or triplicated. This redundancy ensures no single failure of one system can cause an accident. Aircrafts are also designed to withstand extreme weather including freezing conditions, lightning strikes, severe turbulence, high winds, and changes in atmospheric pressure to protect those traveling inside.
Meanwhile, car maintenance is mostly voluntary, often delayed, and far less regulated—factors that significantly increase the risk of mechanical failures on the road. Most parts are replaced only when they break or cause noticeable problems, and many states do not require routine vehicle inspections at all. As a result, drivers frequently skip essential upkeep such as oil changes, tire rotations, or checking dashboard warning lights.
Why Flying Feels Scary
The fear of flying comes from your perception of danger, not the actual risk. Here’s why flying may feel more threatening than it actually is:
- Media coverage focuses heavily on the rare aviation accidents, making them seem more common than they are.
- Passengers have little control during a flight, which can heighten anxiety. Passengers also may not understand all that goes into flight safety.
- Turbulence, engine sounds, and takeoff experiences can trigger the body’s stress response or mimic anxiety symptoms
- It’s easy to misinterpret your feelings of discomfort as signs that someone is wrong, even when everything is completely safe
Feeling afraid doesn’t mean you’re in danger — it means your brain is reacting to uncertainty, not reality. If flying anxiety limits your travel, career, or relationships, evidence-based therapy for fear of flying can help. If you’d like to learn more please contact us.
