Air travel has become safer than ever, but now a different kind of threat is facing the aviation industry. The danger may be inside the aircraft itself. It means that the pilot deliberately tries to damage the plane. The recent flydubai incident has once again raised the question of how to save the plane and the hundreds of people on board due to the pilot’s deliberate actions.

According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), there were 270 fatal accidents in commercial aviation between 2005 and 2025, killing 8,470 people on board, while adding other deaths brings the figure to 8,778. At the same time, according to the Wall Street Journal, during the same period, there were at least 800 deaths in such plane crashes, which US officials consider related to the pilot’s intentional actions or in which such actions are confirmed.

Local investigations have yet to confirm anything

However, in every case the findings of local investigative agencies do not match the opinion of American officials. Even the final investigation of some accidents has not been completed yet. These cases include the 2014 Malaysia Airlines MH370 crash, the 2022 China Eastern crash, and the 2025 Air India crash. In all three cases, American officials have expressed suspicion of intentional acts, but domestic investigations have not yet reached such a final conclusion.

The number of deaths has decreased by 35% in 20 years

The Germanwings crash of 2015 is a case that was officially ruled a deliberate accident. The co-pilot deliberately crashed the plane into the French Alps, resulting in 150 deaths. According to statistics, air travel in the world has increased by about 37% in the last two decades, while the number of deaths in commercial aviation has decreased by 35% between 2005 and 2025. That is, general aviation accidents have decreased, but the impact of intentional accidents is now more pronounced.

For this reason, airlines, regulators and aircraft manufacturers are no longer focusing solely on technical faults or simple pilot error. Pilot screening, cockpit safety, mental health and such technologies are also being discussed, which can prevent intentional missteps by pilots if needed. The recent flydubai incident has once again brought this threat to the fore. That is, the question now in aircraft safety is not only how to prevent machine malfunctions, but also how to prevent someone inside the cockpit from deliberately endangering the aircraft.