The Air India plane crashed on Thursday, June 12th, killing at least 240 people, the latest on this year's long list of air disasters.
Naturally, aircraft disasters and near misses burn the worries of many travelers regarding flight.
However, plane crashes are still very rare, thankfully, and experts say flights are still the safest form of transport.
If you're a nervous flyer, in addition to the peace of mind from industry experts, we have a guide to the world's safest airlines.
The US has experienced its first major deadly aircraft collision since 2009
The Air India disaster follows a recent line of surprising aviation accidents.
In January, an airborne collision between an American Airlines passenger jet that killed 67 people near Washington and a US Army helicopter became the first major fatal collision in American soil since 2009.
Last December, a Jeju Airlines operated jet liner slid off the runway and slammed against a concrete fence, causing fire to explode in South Korea as the landing gear was clearly unable to deploy.
All but two of the 181 people on board were killed in one of the country's worst aviation disasters.
Also in December, an Azerbaijan Airlines flight crashed after being hit by what was thought to be a Russian missile while approaching the aircraft's Grozny.
Of the 67 people on board, 38 died in an accident that included both pilots and flight attendants, but 29 survived with injuries.
Other recent incidents include a passenger plane cutting out another clip in February while taxiing at Seattle Airport.
In March, an American Airlines plane broke out after landing in Denver, sending 12 people to hospital.
Six people were killed in April when a tourist helicopter crashed into the Hudson River between New York City and New Jersey.
Flying today is safer than ever, experts say
The dramatic and terrifying nature of airline disasters means they are difficult to put into view.
The reality is that flights today are safer than ever before. A study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that between 2018 and 2022, the risk of dying on air travel was calculated to be 1 for every 13.7 million passengers.
This was down from one in 7.9 million flights between 2008 and 2017, and significantly from one in every 350,000 people between 1968 and 1977.
Research from the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical Academy shows that up to 80% of aviation accidents can be attributed to human error.
The mistakes on the part of the pilot are thought to account for 53% of the accidents, but mechanical failures were considered to be negligent in the failure in just 21%.
Airbus investigated which parts of the flight were the most dangerous and found that takeoff and landing were when the accident was most likely.
Both of the two crashes in December 2024 occurred at the time of landing, but other factors were working.
For example, in Jeju air collisions, there were reports of engine damage after hitting a bird, and for unknown reasons, the aircraft had not deployed the landing gear.
The investigation becomes long and complicated and may take some time before you know exactly what happened.
All Air Force Accidents Make Air Travel safer
The small silver lining of a series of recent incidents means that all accidents will help make air travel safer in the future.
“One of the strengths of the aviation safety process is that whenever a tragedy occurs, we analyze what happened and take appropriate measures to ensure that, wherever possible, the same type of accident does not occur again,” explains Janet Northcourt, spokesman for the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
If both Jeju Airlines and Azerbaijan Airlines crashed, the infamous “black box” was recovered and sent for further investigation.
These two boxes, which are actually bright orange, are flight data recorders (FDRs) and cockpit audio recorders (CVRs), which need to shed light on what happened before the crash.
Ground accident investigators also collect data that the lab analyzes to determine the cause of the crash.
Reports from the survey will be used to create recommendations to avoid similar situations in the future.
“This constant cycle of improvement is fundamental to maintaining a strong aviation safety record,” says Northcote.
What makes the airline safer?
Airlineratings, the airline review site, released the annual rankings of the world's safest airlines earlier this year.
We list the top 25 carriers based on a number of factors, including aircraft age, number of aircraft in operation, pilot training provided, and incident rates.
Airlines' profitability is because less successful financially are likely to invest in training, maintenance and improvement, and in theory may reduce their ability to stay safe.
The rankings consider whether the airline is from a country that has passed the ICAO country audit, known as the Universal Safety Monitoring and Audit Program (USOAP). This audit allows ICAO to assess national safety monitoring implementation and compliance with best practices.
Finally, consider whether the airline has passed the IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA), the global industrial standard for airline operational safety audits.
What is the safest airline to fly with?
In 2025, Air New Zealand was the world's safest airline for the second year in a row. Kiwi Air often wins the crown in 2024 and 2022, earning anti-era neighbour Qantas and top spot.
The first 11 safest airlines in 2025 are dominated by Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern Airlines. However, European airlines also held good shows, taking seventh out of the top 25 on the list.
Spanning markets between Europe and Asia, Turkish Airlines is Europe's safest airline. It ranked 13th in the global rankings and received a 7-star rating on the platform.
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Despite operating in more destinations than any other airline in the world, Turks have not had a fatal accident since 2009 when the Boeing 737 crashed on its approach to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. The crash resulted in nine deaths, but 126 survived.
Tap Portugal ranked 14th in the rankings and became Europe's second most famous airline. Since 1977, they have not lost passengers and have been working with Unidado Dequida Dos Integro Dos Desaudo (UCS) to run a terrifying course that regularly fly.
The gusts of European airlines made up the bottom half of the list. In turn, they were the Lufthansa group, including SAS (16th), British Airways (17th), Iberia (18th), Finnare (19th), and Switzerland (20th).
What is the safest and lowest cost airline in Europe?
Airlineratings has evaluated its low-cost carriers apart from its full-service counterparts, and European airlines launched a fantastic show in their 2025 rankings.
At the top of the list is Behemoth's low-cost airline Ryanair, which ranked third in the world and was Europe's safest budget airline. In its 40-year history, the airline has never had a fatal accident and says it “continues to prioritize the safety and security of people and customers above all.”
Intimately there was EasyJet, an airline headquartered in the UK. It ranked fourth in the global rankings and became the second safest low-cost European airline. Like Ryanair, there have not been any fatal accidents in the 30-year operation.
Further down the global No. 7 list, Wizz Air has secured its position as Europe's third safest and lowest-cost airline. Again, as a relatively young airline, it has never lost passengers and has a fleet of new Airbus aircraft, average under the age of five.
Also, the world's safest and lowest-cost airlines featured were Norwegian (12th), Volling (13th), Jet2 (14th), Eurowings (20th), and Air Baltic, which were scuffed at 25th.
