Is flying getting extra harmful? Scientists reveal why so many planes are crashing – as Air India catastrophe kills 241 on board

No less than 260 folks have died in Ahmedabad after an Air India flight crashed right into a constructing, mere seconds after taking off.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plunged right into a busy suburb on Thursday morning, claiming the lives of all however one passenger.

The catastrophe is the most recent in a string of business airplane crashes which have sadly claimed the lives of lots of of individuals. 

Firstly of the yr, an American Airways flight collided with a navy helicopter over Washington, killing 67.

Then, in March, 13 folks have been killed in a devastating incident off the island of Ruatan.

In response to skilled evaluation, 2025 has turn out to be one of many deadliest years for air journey up to now decade.

With just one confirmed survivor, yesterday’s tragedy brings this yr’s whole airflight fatalities to 460 in simply the primary six months of the yr.

So, is air journey actually turning into extra harmful? MailOnline spoke to the specialists to seek out out. 

Because the crash of Air India Flight 171 (pictured) claims the lives of 241 passengers, 2025 has turn out to be one of many deadliest years for air journey up to now decade. 

Yesterday, a Gatwick-bound Boeing 787 jetliner crashed right into a populated space solely minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, ensuing within the deaths of all however one passenger 

Whereas the aviation business maintains exceptionally excessive security requirements, the current string of high-profile incidents has raised issues that flying could also be turning into extra dangerous.

The common variety of deaths throughout flights per yr at present stands at 284, based on Jan-Arwed Richter, founding father of Jacdec, a German consulting agency that tracks aviation security.

Which means 2025 has already had nearly double the typical variety of air journey deaths.

Mr Richter advised Bloomberg: ‘This yr nonetheless has greater than six months to go, so this could possibly be regarding if this charge of deadly accidents would go on.’

Whereas many individuals will seemingly now have issues concerning the security of air journey, specialists reassure that flying is just not getting extra harmful. 

Dr Simon Bennett, director of the civil security and safety unit on the College of Leicester, advised MailOnline: ‘That notion is comprehensible as a result of security goes by means of peaks and troughs.

‘So in the event you take a snapshot at a specific time it might probably both seem like issues are getting significantly harmful or that issues are getting significantly secure.’

2025’s excessive degree of fatalities comes on the again of one of many most secure durations within the historical past of air journey. 

This tragic crash was one of many deadliest since Malaysia Airways Flight MH17 was shot down over Ukraine 

In 2023, business teams discovered that there was not a single deadly incident all through the complete yr.

Nevertheless, a sequence of high-profile occasions ranging from the tip of 2024 have grabbed the general public consideration.

Whereas these incidents create an phantasm of escalating hazard, this isn’t mirrored within the statistical actuality.

Because the Air India tragedy unfolded, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Department printed its annual security evaluation for 2024. 

This evaluation concluded: ‘Industrial aviation stays one of many most secure types of public transport, with international accident charges persevering with their long-term decline.’

Dr Bennett factors out that aviation specialists solely take a look at averages over longer durations, to keep away from being biased by large spikes related to single incidents.

‘Should you take a 20-year snapshot, then air security is unequivocally bettering,’ he defined.

Nevertheless, the specialists additionally factors out that this can be very tough to persuade folks of this reality.

The crash has sparked issues that air journey could also be turning into extra harmful: Pictured: rescuers carry a physique away from the crash website in Ahmedabad

The airplane explodes in a fireball on affect. It by no means made it greater than 400ft above the bottom

‘You can be safer 5 miles above the earth than you’d be at residence, that may be a reality. However in the event you inform the general public that they will not consider you,’ he stated.

‘My deepest sympathies exit to those that’ve been affected, however I’d beg the general public to think about such occasions within the widest doable context.’

As for what has prompted this ‘trough’ in air flight security, there could also be a variety of causes with financial causes being the most certainly.

Dr Bennett says that downturns within the fortunes of airflight industries result in decreased funding in security which might spark a rise in close to misses and incidents.

Till the official investigation concludes, it’s inconceivable to verify precisely what led to the crash of Indian Airways Flight 171.

Nevertheless, it at present seems that environmental and mechanical points could have mixed to forestall the flight from gaining altitude correctly.

Dr Sammy Diasinos, an aerodynamics researcher at Macquarie College, says: ‘The B787 has very highly effective engines and might simply function if one engine fails, so for this accident to happen, we might be taking a look at a really uncommon double engine failure.

‘I’d count on this highlights an environmental trigger moderately than an engine or upkeep situation.

Regardless of these surprising occasions, air journey specialists say that flying has not turn out to be extra harmful general. Pictured: Elements of Air India Flight 171 after the crash

Excessive occasions create an impression of heightened threat, however the statistics present that flying is safer now than it was up to now. Pictured: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) visiting the positioning of the crash

‘It will be very uncommon for 2 engines on the identical plane to be on the very same upkeep schedule, making simultaneous mechanical failure unlikely.’

Specialists level out that the new situations and the flight’s full gasoline would have meant it wanted additional time to achieve altitude – one thing which it appeared unable to do.

With temperatures on the runway at 37°C (98°F), the flight would have wanted considerably extra elevate to achieve altitude.

Moreover, Flight 171 appeared to have each its touchdown gear deployed and flaps retracted at an altitude of solely 600ft (182m) inflicting it to have a decrease elevate.

Murray Terwey, an aviation lecturer at Edith Conway College, stated: ‘Aircrew have been identified up to now to retract the flap as an alternative of the gear by mistake.

‘This, within the early phases of flight, can result in a major lack of elevate which might result in an accident.’

Nevertheless, the precise mixture of things which led to this incident will solely be revealed in a full investigation by the Indian Plane Accident Investigation Bureau.