Are airplanes really dangerous? 2017 was safest year for travel

Plenty of people have a fear of flying in airplanes, but a new report found last year was the safest year for commercial airline passengers in the history of aviation.

This past year was another "exceptionally good year for civil aviation safety," according to Netherlands-based aviation consultant To70. Only two fatal accidents occurred in passenger airlines in 2017, and both were small turbo-prop planes, the report found.

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The report examined only larger passenger aircraft commonly used by travelers. In 2016, there were 71 civil aviation accidents, and six of them resulted in fatalities. In 2017, there were 111 accidents and two included fatalities. There were no accidents in 2017 related to unlawful interference, like terrorist attacks.

A total of 13 lives lost in two regional airline accidents:

An Embraer Brasilia lost control in flight in Angola after, reportedly, suffering an engine failure, and
A Czech-built Let 410 crashed on landing at Nelken in Russia.

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Kara Driscoll DDN

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Kara Driscoll