February 19, 2025, 3:50 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
A Delta Air Lines plane overturned on landing in Toronto, injuring several passengers. “Yet another airplane accident,” you may be thinking. In fact, there is currently an increasing number of such reports. TRAVELBOOK asked an expert about the possible reasons for this anomaly.
In recent months, there have been an increasing number of reports of incidents in air traffic, some of which almost led to disasters. Unfortunately, in some cases, they could not be prevented. A particularly serious incident occurred at the end of January when an American Airlines passenger plane collided with a military helicopter on its approach to Washington, D.C., killing 67 people. The collision resulted in 67 fatalities. Another recent incident involved a plane overturning at Toronto airport, which, fortunately, resulted in “only” 18 injuries. Overall, the question arises: Why are there apparently so many airplane accidents at the moment?
Overview
Restructuring at US Aviation Authorities – and More Accidents
Anyone following political events might suspect a connection between Donald Trump’s decisions and the increase in air traffic accidents – or, more precisely, with possible safety deficiencies. Just a few days before the disaster in Washington, the old and new US president had dismissed the head of the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and completely disbanded an important advisory body for aviation security, as reported by Time and others.
Furthermore, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) faced a leadership vacuum when its head, Michael Whitaker, resigned shortly after Trump’s inauguration. The news magazine attributes his resignation to “conflicts” with Elon Musk, a close ally of the controversial president. Trump appointed Musk as head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) shortly afterward. In this role, Musk will review the efficiency of various government agencies. According to a report by The Verge, he has already dismissed hundreds of FAA employees in the process — a move that could well unbalance the agency.
Accumulation of aircraft accidents not limited to the USA
However, even if there are safety problems in the USA, they do not explain the recent airplane accidents on other continents. A tragic accident occurred shortly before the turn of the year at Muan Airport in South Korea when a Jeju Air plane crashed. 179 people lost their lives. Initial investigations point to a bird strike as a possible cause, according to a report in the German news program Tagesschau. Around a month later, there was another incident, this time in Busan: a fire broke out in the rear of the plane before take-off. The passengers were evacuated in time, but some suffered injuries.
Expert Convinced: Flying Is Safer Today Than Ever Before
TRAVELBOOK spoke to aviation expert Heinrich Großbongardt. He also notes an increase in airplane accidents but emphasizes that this is not due to safety deficiencies. Rather, it is a “random statistical concentration.”
Großbongardt illustrates this with a spoonful of sugar scattered on the table. “The grains are always at a certain distance from each other and collect in certain places.” The situation is similar to current accidents. There are indeed a conspicuous number of incidents at the moment, but in the past, there were equally long periods without aircraft accidents. The impression of an accumulation arises above all in comparison to these quieter times. Großbongardt is convinced: “Flying has not become less safe.”
“Worldwide, there is one fatal accident for every 8 million flights”
On the contrary, according to Großbongardt, flying today is more reliable than ever before. The expert, who worked as a spokesperson for Boeing Germany around 20 years ago, remembers times when there were “a dozen serious accidents” every year — and with significantly fewer aircraft movements. Back then, accidents were much more frequent both in absolute terms and in relation to the number of flights.
He looked at the latest statistics for TRAVELBOOK. These statistics indicate a global rate of one fatal accident for every 8 million flights. “And if you look at the most modern aircraft — such as the Boeing 737, the Airbus A320, or the Dreamliner — the rate is only one accident per 20 million flights,” explains Großbongardt. His conclusion: accidents happen today mainly because there are more and more flights.
In Service Since 1974! This Boeing 737 Is the Oldest Passenger Aircraft Still Flying
Exciting questions and answers What you definitely didn’t know about airplanes
Classified as dangerous by the IATA Why this tropical snack is not allowed on flights
However, the Changes in the USA Could Have Consequences
Nevertheless, the expert does not downplay the significance of the changes in the USA. It’s not that far yet because the systems are very resilient, he says. It could, therefore, take another four to five years, but Heinrich Großbongardt already sees the danger that the restructuring measures implemented by Trump could affect the safety of US air traffic. Last but not least, the crash in Washington showed that the USA already has a problem with air traffic control. “If this area is thinned out further, it can only be detrimental.”