Is air travel still safe? That’s the Big Question among frequent and infrequent fliers alike. Google that question, and you’ll find experts weighing in on data showing flying is not only still safe but has gotten safer over the years.
Historical data demonstrates a clear and consistent trend toward air travel safety, with a 2024 study from MIT finding that it’s about 40 times safer to fly now than the 1960s. However, with recent tragedies and near-misses making the news—including the devastating January crash in D.C. and loss of communication in Newark—flying anxiety seems to be on the rise.
Is It Safe to Fly?
CNN aviation and transportation correspondent, Pete Muntean, a pilot himself, addressed the issue during the recent CNN podcast, Terms of Service With Clare Duffy.
When asked to give an overview of flight safety, Muntean mentioned air traffic control as “a huge layer of safety,” with a mode of operations called “the Swiss cheese model.” Meaning that if there is a hole in any layer of safety, the solid “cheese” beneath acts as another barrier.
One variable that has changed is the controllers themselves, who are not only putting in long hours—mandatory 6-day weeks of 10-hour shifts for many, Muntean said—but are suffering a shortfall to the tune of 3,000 more needed nationwide.
But is a shortage of controllers to blame for what happened on April 28th at Newark Liberty International Airport, when pilots abruptly lost contact with air traffic control? Partially, Muntean said. The other part was a wiring failure that traced back to when the facility moved from Long Island to Philadelphia last July, a move meant to lure more controllers, Muntean said.
“The FAA wanted to entice more controllers to work in this Newark sector of airspace, and so instead of having them move to Long Island, they thought, ‘well maybe we’ll do it out of Philadelphia,’” he explained. “So they instituted this move last July to try and bolster their numbers, but by moving the facility, it introduced new problems.”
Problems the FAA says have now been resolved, and Muntean believes that is true; though it’s worth noting that five air traffic controllers at Newark took a 45-day trauma leave after the April 28th communication incident.
“Newark is a unique situation. The staffing, trauma leave, and the infrastructure issues leading to these failures were a real perfect storm,” Muntean said.
Still, a shortage of 3,000 air traffic controllers remains a critical problem for the industry.
“I don’t want to make people afraid. And the good news here is that aviation has so many layers of safety. There are so many safety nets built in that when one goes down, usually the other can pick up some slack,” Muntean said. “But it’s not a good thing that these things keep happening. It’s why we cover them and it’s why we hold the powerful to account and question, ‘what the heck is going on here?’”
