Flying Again After Years Away

You're Not Alone

Many people stop flying for years — after having children, a bad flight, a change in health, or simply life getting busy. When it's time to fly again, the nerves can feel bigger than ever. That's normal. Fear often grows when we stay away from something.

Flying Is Safer Than When You Last Flew

Whatever year you last flew, flying is safer now. Research from MIT puts the risk to a passenger at about 1 in 13.7 million boardings. That's around 40 times lower than 50 years ago. It has kept improving decade after decade.

Read why aviation gets safer every decade.

What Might Feel Different

• Phones do more of the work. Check-in and boarding passes are often on an app.
• Security can look different — new scanners, and rules that vary by airport. Check your airport's website before you go.
• Planes are quieter and smoother on many routes, with newer, more efficient engines.
• There's more help for nervous flyers — like this Library, and Avi to talk to.

Easing Back In

1. Refresh what you know. Read about turbulence and flight sounds.
2. Practise your calm. Use the breathing tool daily for a week or two before you fly.
3. Take small steps. Watch take-off videos, or visit an airport. Read practise before you fly.
4. Start short if you can. A shorter flight is a gentle first step.
5. Use the flight plan to prepare step by step.

After You Land

Notice that you did it. That first flight back is often the hardest — and it opens the door to the next one.

The Takeaway

The time away may have grown the fear, but it hasn't made flying any riskier — quite the opposite. With a gentle plan, you can find your feet in the air again.

Sources

• MIT News (2024), Study: Flying keeps getting safer — about 1 in 13.7 million boardings, and steady improvement over decades: https://news.mit.edu/2024/study-flying-keeps-getting-safer-0807
• NHS, Phobias — how avoidance can keep fear going: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/phobias/overview/