The recent fatal crash at the moment of London-bound Air India jetliner after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport renewed fears about the safety of air travel at a time when uncertainty about flight was already increasing.
The Air India crash crash killed 242 out of 242 people, 242, marking one of the deadliest air disasters of the past 20 years. It was also the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the manufacturer’s top sellers’ wide bodies, and since the JET type debuted in 2011, more than 1,100 aircraft have now been serving it.
The cause of the crash may not be known for some time. Aviation experts warn that in most major accidents, a single cause is rare. The investigation, which the Indian government is being dealt with with support from the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing, has already recovered important black boxes. However, extracting and analyzing the data can take several weeks.
In the meantime, speculation has roared about possible causes, ranging from bird strikes (which so far does not suggest this scenario) to Boeing design flaws (despite the fatal record of aircraft). The actions of the crew are also examined. Air India has decided to cut foreign wide body flights by 15% after the collision, reports Bloomberg.
The major collisions involving aircraft built in the US have come after a series of serious airline accidents across the country, adding to the impression that something is very fraudulent in the commercial aviation industry.
First, an airborne collision occurred between an American Airlines commuter jet and an army helicopter in the country’s capital, killing all 67 people on the two ships. The US aviation industry is now set to record 16-year record run without a fatal crash on commercial jets.
They soon followed two fatal accidents in which two fatal accidents (one in Philadelphia and one in Alaska) followed, leaving a total of 17 people vanishing, causing anxiety.
Then another shocking scene appeared from the scene of the Toronto airline collision. There, after a short flight from Minneapolis, Delta’s regional jets were turned over on a snowy runway. Surprisingly, all 76 passengers and four crew members were evacuated safely, with several serious injuries reported.
Industry officials and critics immediately took him to the airwaves to reassure travelers. Jennifer Homendy, chairman of the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB), which investigates air force conflicts, highlighted the strong safety records of the airline, pointing to the deaths of more than 100 Americans every day in car accidents. In an interview with Fox News, she said that while she understands that watching news reports about these crashes may be “concern,” it is important to remember that “air travel is extremely safe.” (The investigation into delta crashes conducted on Canadian soils will be led by the Canadian Road Safety Board.)
“Walking Call”
The complete story behind this mass of incident may not be known for a while. A complete accident investigation can usually take up to 18 months. But judging by some of the commentary online, passengers are confused and probably get caught up in the airplane. But should they be?
Most aviation experts say there is no reason for the alarm. In fact, the reason why air attracts so much attention is very rare. Furthermore, finding the cause usually leads to reforms that make the system even safer. Still, there is some concern about whether industry and federal regulators were responding appropriately to warning signs, like reporting near misses at airports.
“This is a wake-up call,” said John Goglier, a former NTSB member and aviation safety consultant. “We were so complacent.”
He added, “For a long time since that last big crash, the industry hasn’t looked at the ball.”
The last fatal accident in the United States occurred in 2009. In 2009, a continental air commuter plane run by local affiliate Corgan Air crashed outside Buffalo, New York, killing all 49 people and one person on the ground.
Subsequent investigations, along with several highly publicized council hearings, led to a series of reforms, including unearthing poor training and stressful working conditions for commuter crews, and higher standards for pilots who often start in the industry on the commuter line.
However, other red flags have not yet been fully resolved, such as staffing at major air traffic control centres and the wave of pilot retirements during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Goglia points out that the airport where the recent air collision occurred (Ronord Reagan-Washington National Airport) is famous for being one of the busiest airfields in the country. It also has a relatively short runway, and “there is a pentagon nearby, so you have all the restricted airspace” – the airspace, which is restricted to using for security reasons, creates one of the more challenging environments for pilots. Nevertheless, council members recently voted to expand the number of flight operations at DC Airport. However, the clash has encouraged the airport to make changes, including new restrictions on military helicopter flights, including “it should never be allowed to get too close to busy airfields.”
What happens next?
As the various research progresses, it is important for travelers to keep things in sight, says William J. McGee, senior aviation and travel fellow at the American Economic Liberties Project. Even in recent accidents, he says, “This is still a very safe system.”
That is also true on a global scale. For example, 2024 was the worst air safety of recent years, with 11 fatal accidents and a total of 318 deaths (including 179 in the Jeju Air Collision in South Korea), compared to 2002, when 1,022 people died in a total of 33 accidents. And that was a lower flight than we have today.
“The safety issues are periodic and this is difficult, but given the enormous amount of air traffic in the country, it was probably postponed due to a major crash,” said an airline pilot and aviation safety expert.
Still, the chances of crashes have been dramatically improved due to technological advances and other reforms. For example, with that high crash rate in 2002, 50% of deaths were attributed to a phenomenon known as controlled flight into the terrain (CFIT). More recently, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, safety reforms, including new advanced navigation techniques, improved training and adjustments to the cockpit crew, have dramatically reduced CFIT crashes around the world.
In late 2023, when close calls at the airport dominated the headlines, the FAA responded with a ton of recommendations, including accelerated employment for controllers.
Airplane types have been the focus of the recent Boeing Max crisis, an aircraft grounded after two fatal crashes in 2018 and 2019, but there was no suggestion that mechanical issues could be held responsible for the recent crash of a jet plane in the region. Both the DC and Toronto collisions included similar aircraft types, the Bombardier CRJ 700 and the CRJ 900, respectively. These are popular with small lines that partner with major lines. In these cases, it is an endeavored subsidiary of American Eagle and Delta. These Worker Hols are generally considered to be extremely reliable.
As one pilot said after seeing footage of the crash in Toronto, “a lot could have been wrong. Everyone survived is a testament to the strength and airworthiness of the plane, and the professionalism of its crew.”
But ultimately, what these crashes show is that what the pilots add is that when it comes to aviation safety, “we must be constantly on alert and vigilant.”
This story was originally published in March 2024 and updated on June 19, 2025, and contains current information.
