Delta Airlines plane crash
A series of 2025 plane crashes, including a Delta flight incident, has sparked safety concerns despite statistically safe air travel. Investigations into the causes are ongoing, and the FAA is undergoing staff changes. X / Shadow of Ezra @ShadowofEzra

Concerns over aviation safety are rising as a series of plane crashes in 2025 have left passengers and experts questioning whether air travel remains the safest mode of transport. The latest incident involved a Delta Air Lines flight from Minneapolis to Toronto, which crash-landed at Toronto Pearson International Airport on 17th February. While there were no fatalities, the event marks yet another alarming aviation accident this year, fuelling concerns over the recent surge in air disasters.

Delta Flight Crash: Latest in a String of Accidents

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Delta regional jet, carrying 76 passengers and four crew members, crashed and flipped upon landing. Seventeen individuals were hospitalised with injuries.

While experts maintain that flying is still incredibly safe, this crash follows a devastating accident near Washington's Reagan National Airport, which claimed 67 lives. Several private and charter plane crashes have followed, raising serious questions about the overall safety of air travel in 2025.

2025 Aviation Accidents: A Look at the Numbers

According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), 87 aviation accidents have been recorded in 2025 so far, with 62 incidents in January and 25 in February.

The board confirms that 13 of these accidents have been fatal, with 10 occurring in January and three in February.

So far in 2025, there have been four major, fatal aviation disasters in the US, occurring within just two weeks of each other. These tragedies took place in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Alaska, and Arizona. However, the Washington D.C. crash on 29th January, which resulted in 67 deaths, remains the only fatal commercial aviation crash this year and the first in nearly 15 years.

2025 Aviation Disasters: A Human Toll

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, at least 85 people have lost their lives in four major US aviation disasters this year.

  • 29th January – Washington D.C.: An American Airlines regional jet with 64 passengers collided with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter after departing Wichita, Kansas. The crash killed 67 people.
  • 31st January – Philadelphia: A medical jet carrying a young patient crashed in a residential area, killing seven people, including six on board and one in a car on the ground.
  • 6th February – Alaska: A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan carrying 10 people vanished from radar while flying from Unalakleet to Nome. The wreckage was later found, with no survivors.
  • 10th February – Arizona: Two private jets collided at Scottsdale Airport, killing one person and injuring four others.

NBC Chicago reports that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are actively investigating these recent crashes to determine their causes and implement preventive measures.

While some initial findings on the midair collision have surfaced, a full report is expected to take over a year to complete.

The Safety of US Air Travel

Despite recent tragedies, commercial airline travel in the US remains one of the safest forms of transport. However, growing concerns have been exacerbated by staffing cuts at the FAA, raising questions about whether regulatory oversight is being compromised.

David Spero, president of the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists union, has raised alarms after hundreds of probationary FAA employees were dismissed amid a period of heightened aviation scrutiny.

Is Flying Still Safe?

According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' 2024 Report, air travel continues to be the safest mode of transport.

'Transportation incidents for all modes claimed 44,546 lives in 2022, of which all but 2,032 involved highway motor vehicles,' the report states. 'Preliminary estimates for 2023 suggest a further decline in fatalities.'

Additionally, the report confirms: 'There were no deaths from crashes on large commercial airlines in 2023, but several hundred deaths occurred in crashes involving general aviation, commuter air, and air taxi services.'

While major commercial airline crashes remain rare, 2025 has already seen a worrying spike in aviation disasters, prompting renewed scrutiny on airline safety, regulatory oversight, and aircraft maintenance standards. With multiple investigations underway, only time will tell if these accidents are isolated events or indicative of a deeper issue within the aviation industry.

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