After all, is flying really dangerous? – Executive Digest

In the world’s busiest skies, aviation safety is an undeniable priority. However, a recent series of incidents involving commercial airlines have brought to light worrisome questions about their integrity and the challenges facing the aviation industry.

In January this year, an emergency door panel detached from an Alaska Airlines plane while it was flying at an altitude of 5,000 meters. Although the pilots were able to land the plane safely, the incident raised concerns about the structural safety of the aircraft, especially those manufactured by Boeing.

However, this incident is not an isolated incident. Over the past 15 months, a series of such incidents have caught the attention of regulators and aviation safety experts. In addition to the Alaska Airlines incident, other troubling incidents have emerged. In March, a United Airlines Boeing 777 suffered a tire blowout as it took off from San Francisco. Although the situation was brought under control, the importance of proper aircraft maintenance was emphasized.

In March, a piece of aluminum was found missing from a United Boeing 737 that landed in Oregon. Although the aircraft was 26 years old, the issue raised concerns about the quality of manufacturing and maintenance.

Another more serious incident occurred when a LATAM Boeing 787 flying from Australia to New Zealand went into free fall before regaining altitude. Investigations suggest that a flight attendant accidentally activated a switch that triggered the incident.

But is flying in an airplane really dangerous?

The National Safety Council estimates that US citizens have a one in 93 chance of dying in a car crash, while airplane deaths are so rare that the probability cannot be calculated.

“This is the safest mode of transportation ever developed,” space explorer and consultant Richard Aboulafia tells the Fast Company portal.

Recorded problems can easily be attributed to manufacturers, but an aviation maxim states that the failure of a single part is not enough to cause an aircraft to crash.

North American industry officials insist the most serious cases are problems with the aircraft’s controls, engines or structural integrity. Everything else is seen as less of a problem.

“We take every incident seriously,” says former US National Transportation Safety Board member John Coglia: “The challenge we have in aviation is trying to keep it that way.”