2024 has been a nerve-wracking year for plane travel. How safe is it really? [Video]

Anxious flyers may well remember 2024 as the year their worst fears about the safety of air travel felt confirmed, as a series of unprecedented, and in some cases fatal, aeroplane incidents captured headlines.

Three separate incidents last week – aboard South Korean, Canadian and Azerbaijani airliners – have stirred those anxieties during the busy holiday travel period.

But statistics show the risk of death or injury on a commercial flight is extremely low.

It’s still unclear what caused the crash, though experts told CNN the plane’s undercarriage – specifically, the wheels used for takeoff and landing – appeared not to have fully deployed before hitting the tarmac.

South Korean authorities are probing the cause of the disaster with the help of investigators from the United States.

In a Sunday statement on …