How safe are modern airplanes?
Air travel is statistically one of the safest forms of transport ever created. Here's why — plus honest answers to the questions flyers ask most.
The big picture
Commercial aviation has an extraordinarily low accident rate, and it has improved decade after decade. For most people, the most dangerous part of any trip is the drive to the airport, not the flight itself.
Built with safety in layers
Airliners are designed around redundancy: multiple engines, duplicated hydraulic and electrical systems, and backups for the backups. If one part fails, another takes over.
Before a model can carry passengers it must be certified by regulators such as EASA in Europe and the FAA in the US, after being tested far beyond the conditions it will ever meet in service.
The maintenance you never see
Every airliner follows strict, mandatory maintenance schedules — quick checks before flights, and progressively deeper inspections based on flight hours and the calendar. If an aircraft is due for maintenance, it simply does not fly until the work is done.
Does an older aircraft matter?
On its own, no. Age alone does not make an airliner less safe, because maintenance is mandatory regardless of how old the aircraft is. Many jets fly safely for 25–30 years, and a well-maintained older aircraft is as safe as a brand-new one.
Why incidents feel more common than they are
Because serious problems are so rare, each one becomes global news, while the millions of uneventful, safe flights never get a headline. The coverage is actually a sign of how unusual problems are.
Look up the aircraft on your next flight →