Some may feel scared to fly following the near-collision between two airplanes at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Friday and a plane crash in Nepal where roughly 68 people died.

“You’re in an enclosed, encapsulated surrounding and you’re up in the air, and at the mercy of the professionals who are flying,” says weary air traveler and therapist Gary Roftus. “I think that's probably the biggest factor of flying, is that fear of being out of control." 

Air traffic control towers and flight crews are in constant communication, and the Federal Aviation Administration says many aviation accidents are survivable.  

The latest data from the National Transportation Safety Board shows there were 1,225 aviation-related accidents in 2021, of which 220 were fatal. Of those, 67 of them were on U.S. air carriers and nine were fatal.

Findings also show that the number of aviation accidents and fatalities have been on a steady decline since 2002.  

“Yes, there was an accident and a near-miss, but… the number of those incidents happening, they’re minute,” said Roftus. “Rational thinking like looking at statistics is not going to impact them. It might over time as they work through their fears in therapy." 

Roftus suggests that a lot of the fears and anxious feelings that come with air travel can be mitigated with proper flight preparation, adding that rushing could increase anxiety.