EXCLUSIVE: An aviation expert has spoken out about why there seems to be an increase in plane crashes this year, after a cargo plane skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport
An expert has weighed in on the increase of plane crashes this year as an aviation disaster last night left two dead. In the early hours of Monday, a cargo plane tragically skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport and crashed into the sea.
The plane, which had been attempting a landing, was inbound from Dubai. The pilot was attempting to land around 3.50am when disaster struck. Hong Kong’s airport authority reports that the aircraft veered off the runway during landing, leaving a path of destruction behind.
This marks the 138th disaster this year, according to Aviation Safety Network, which also record 498 fatalities. While the disasters gain plenty of media attention, one expert has revealed there has not been a significant impact this year.
Speaking to the Daily Star, Professor of Computer Science at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Sheldon Jacobson said: “The perception that there are more airplane crashes is flawed. 2025 has been worse than previous years, yet major crashes have been very low for many prior years.”
His previous findings listed: “On an average day in the US, commercial airlines operate more than 25,000 flights, carrying around 2.5 million passengers, based on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening throughput at airports.
“Air travel in the US has been remarkably safe for many years. The last reported commercial airplane crash occurred on July 6, 2013, when Asiana 214 crashed as it approached San Francisco International Airport for landing. Pilot error was determined to be the cause of the crash.”
He continued: “Among U.S. carriers, the last crash was on Feb. 12, 2009, when Colgan 3407 crashed on its approach to Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. This crash led to sweeping changes for pilot certification and rest rules, which most likely has led to safer air traveler over the past 15 years.
“In contrast, over 40,000 people were killed on highways in 2022. By any reasonable measure, boarding an airplane for a two-hour flight is significantly safer than driving the same route for 12 hours.”
As for whether incidents were connected, Jacobson disagreed, adding airlines this year have simply suffered “a string of bad luck”.
He concluded: “social media has a way of amplifying any such incident. The good news is that each incident will be investigated, ultimately leading to an even safer air travel experience for all”.
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