Expert classifies accident Should I even get on an airplane now?

Lea Oetiker

30.1.2025

There was a collision between an airplane and a US military helicopter in Washington late on Wednesday evening. All passengers are dead.
There was a collision between an airplane and a US military helicopter in Washington late on Wednesday evening. All passengers are dead.
Alex Brandon/AP/dpa

Three plane crashes in just a few weeks are causing concern. Most recently in Washington D.C. An expert explains to blue News why flying is still safe.

No time? blue News summarizes for you

  • There have been three serious airplane accidents in recent weeks.
  • Most recently in Washington: the authorities assume that all passengers are dead.
  • An expert assesses the situation for blue News.

There have been several serious airplane accidents around the world in recent weeks. Three serious accidents involving passenger planes have been reported since December 25. Most recently on Wednesday evening in Washington: a passenger plane collided with a US helicopter. The authorities assume that all passengers are dead.

Is there a connection between the accidents? "No", says Stefan Eiselin, aviation expert and publisher of "aerotelegraph", to blue News. "There is always a tendency to try to find a correlation in unlikely events. But there isn't one. It's completely different regions and circumstances."

Airspace in the USA overloaded

The circumstances in Washington D.C. are still unclear. "All we know is that there was a collision," explains Eiselin. But: "There have been many near-collisions in the USA recently because the airspace is heavily congested," he continues.

"Is there a connection here? You can at least ask that question." But it could also have completely different causes. But one thing is clear: "A collision like this shouldn't just happen," adds Eiselin.

Airspace congestion is a known problem that is already being tackled. However, there are also opposing developments: "Donald Trump has introduced a hiring freeze for air traffic controllers because he is on a cost-cutting spree. This is somewhat counterproductive, but basically people have recognized that there is something there."

Accident record has improved

Despite the recent incidents, safety in aviation has improved: "You still have to see that the accident statistics have improved enormously compared to 30 or 40 years ago," says Eiselin. "If you look at the statistics, the annual numbers of accidents and fatalities have fallen."

The increased media attention for aviation accidents often leads to a distorted perception of the actual risks, explains Eiselin. "In the age of social media, all incidents are known immediately. This reinforces the perception. We used to be completely unaware of many things."


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