Is Boeing safe? Are Boeing 787 and 737 planes safe after fatal accidents including Air India crash - are Airbus jets safer
High-profile Boeing fatal crashes have placed a spotlight on the safety of the firm’s planes.
In January 2024, an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 suffered an uncontrolled decompression in the cabin when an unsecured door plug blew out at 15,000ft above Portland, Oregon. The incident led the US Federal Aviation Administration to run an investigation into the 737 manufacturing process.
Now a Boeing 787 has crashed shortly after take-off. A video of the incident, obtained by local media, shows the Air India aircraft flying over a residential area before crashing, creating what appears to be a huge fireball followed by large plumes of black smoke. It is the first time a Boeing 787 plane has been involved in a fatal accident.
Last year a Boeing 787 Dreamliner suffered a sudden drop in altitude over the Tasman Sea, injuring 50 passengers and on March 15 2024 a United 737 lost an underside panel between San Francisco and Medford, Oregon. So, of course there is going to be a lot of safety concerns over Boeing planes.
The industry body IATA previously told The Times: “Flying is the safest mode of transport. At this level of safety, on average a person would have to travel by air every day for 103,239 years to experience a fatal accident.”
The CEO of Safety Operating Systems, John Cox, previously told NationalWorld outright that “Boeing planes are safe”. He said: “While there have been some highly publicised incidents, and Boeing’s problems have properly been brought to light, the airplanes in service are safe.
“Every thousands of airliners (roughly 50% being Boeing) fly passengers and freight to destinations around the world. Aviation remains the safest form of transportation ever designed by humankind.”
Due to Boeing fears, passengers switched to wanting to fly Airbus instead. However, there have been 597 plane crashes or incidents involving Airbus aircraft, according to Curcio & Casciato. Specifically, the Airbus A320 family has experienced 180 accidents and incidents.
While statistically Airbus has a slightly better safety record, the difference is negligible, and both Boeing and Airbus are safe aircraft. Both companies are highly dedicated to safety.