Is it possible to overcome a fear of flying? These converts say yes

“Now you’ll hear the engines get louder as the pilots prepare for the take-off run. It’s all perfectly normal.” Captain Gordon MacLean’s soft Scottish accent drifts over the intercom as we taxi towards the runway at Birmingham, about to take off for a special 45-minute EasyJet flight — the concluding module of its Fearless Flyer programme.

As we accelerate down the runway, I focus on controlling my breathing and picturing a positive outcome, as my training had advised. Sitting next to me is Elias Gathercole, a 20-year-old student from London. He hadn’t set foot on a plane in seven years. Every summer, he’s watched friends fly overseas on their holidays. He turns 21 in August and wants to mark the occasion in Ibiza.

Elias and I fall into the estimated 10% of Brits who suffer from aerophobia, a fear of flying. It’s an affliction that, for many, affects travel habits. A 2026 Confused.com survey of 2,000 nervous British flyers found that 30% would rather holiday within the UK than board a plane. Nearly a quarter who do go overseas have opted to journey by car, train or ferry. This is despite flying being statistically the safest form of transport. The US’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics data for the decade from 2010 to 2019 shows commercial air travel comfortably led the way in terms of safety. For every billion passenger miles travelled by commercial airlines in the US, there were 0.002 fatalities. This compares with 0.31 for trains, 3.5 for cars and 212 for motorcycles.

(Afraid of flying? Here are 7 tricks to manage your anxiety.)

Globally, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) estimates flight avoidance costs airlines and the tourism industry $2.5bn (£1.89bn) annually in lost revenue. It’s something European airlines are keen to address. Since launching in 2012, EasyJet’s Fearless Flyer course has helped more than 14,000 people. It involves completing 16 online modules, ranging from four to 20 minutes in length. The intention is to demystify aircraft noises and motions, and outline techniques to cope with anxiety. It culminates with a real-life flight at one of the airline’s UK bases. British Airways and Lufthansa run similar programmes and companies such as LoveFly and FlightPad are also moving into the space, offering online courses and simulator sessions.

Professor Rob Bor, a clinical and aerospace psychologist and co-author of the book Overcome Your Fear of Flying, explains fears and phobias can often be addressed by an individual simply trying to avoid the cause of their anxiety. “If you were afraid of snakes, you wouldn’t go into the reptile cage at a zoo,” says Bor. “But for many people, getting in a plane is unavoidable.” In this case, cure is better than prevention.

Turbulence is frequently cited as a major cause of aerophobia. Ignacio Gallego-Marcos holds a doctorate in computational fluid dynamics — simulating how liquids and gases interact with solid objects — and runs the popular Turbli website, which aims to provide complete coverage of the atmospheric conditions affecting flight. Explaining why he set up Turbli, Gallego-Marcos says, “Previously, only pilots would have this information, but it’s useful for passengers, too — particularly if they’re anxious.”

Turbli has more than 300,000 monthly users and that number is growing, with fearful flyers able to view weather and turbulence maps, and which routes encounter the greatest disruption. Turbulence develops in areas where air experiences sudden velocity changes; jet streams and mountain waves are two of the most significant factors. It’s for this reason that Turbli’s annual ranking of routes with the highest average turbulence is populated with flights that pass over the Andes and the Tibetan Plateau.

It was a flight across the Andes that brought on a fear of flying for Lloyd Figgins, an international security advisor and risk expert. A frequent flyer, Figgins is aware of how safe commercial air travel is, but a sudden, sharp drop in altitude caused by turbulence on a flight to Colombia changed things for him. “The oxygen masks came down and then there were surreal moments: the long hair of the woman sitting in front of me fanned upwards above her head; a miniature bottle of Johnny Walker hovered at eye height above the tray table.” The plane landed safely without any damage — commercial aircraft are built to withstand forces far exceeding even severe turbulence, and turbulence alone has never brought down a modern commercial aircraft. Nevertheless, a new anxiety was unlocked. He wasn’t cured until 10 years later, when he eventually took a fear of flying course.

Turbulence is a major fear for me, too. But having it explained during the flight itself helps change how I view it. Mark Wein, director of EasyJet’s Fearless Flyer course, says, “Turbulence is a good thing, a great thing; it’s a sign there’s air around us, which is needed for flight.” He goes on to explain how our perception makes turbulence feel worse than it is. “Picture your drive to the airport; that will be bumpier than this flight.”

Airlines train their cabin crew to spot and support nervous flyers. British Airways includes access to their Flying with Confidence YouTube video in the entertainment package on long-haul flights. Other digital solutions are also available for passengers now. The SkyGuru app, which has amassed more than 200,000 users, works like having a pilot and a therapist on your phone. Launched in 2016, its features include explanations of the noises and movements of the aircraft in real-time, alongside guided relaxation exercises.

Not all nervous flyers have had a negative flight experience. Other course participants talked about personal circumstances, such as becoming a parent, changing their outlook on life; having more to lose if anything went wrong made them fearful. Another noted how Covid affected them; the increased safety measures, risk of infection and becoming unused to flying during lockdown contributing to raised anxiety.

Google searches in the US for ‘Is it safe to fly?’ peaked during the pandemic. British Airways adapted its Flying with Confidence course to include reassurance around Covid safety measures. Still, a 2021 University of Bristol survey into passenger attitudes found 57.7% of respondents felt that, even after being vaccinated, they’d fly less post-Covid.

Though sentiment has improved since the pandemic, there are other factors. Google searches linked to flight safety and anxiety spiked again in February 2025 shortly after a mid-air collision above the Potomac River in Washington, DC. Some 65% of Americans questioned in a 2025 survey by The Points Guy said they were more nervous about flying considering recent accidents, despite that mode of transport remaining significantly safer than others.

That anxiety is due in large part due to the high-profile nature of any incident. Nervous passengers don’t think about the 35 million commercial flights that safely complete their journeys each year; they focus on the tiny number that don’t. People are drawn to footage of plane crashes. One YouTube video of 2025’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad has clocked up more than 22 million views.

Whenever there’s an incident, the industry responds. In his 2025 Annual Safety Review, Robert Balls, chief inspector of air accidents at the UK government’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch, notes global accident rates are continuing to decline over the long term. Balls writes that accidents highlight the key purposes behind investigations, to ‘identify remaining vulnerabilities, understand new risks and help prevent future occurrences’.

But perhaps the biggest positive is people are now doing more to help themselves. A survey by Phobia.aero, a website set up by a former airline pilot to help passengers with flight anxiety, revealed a greater understanding and acceptance of mental health difficulties during Covid led to a 35% increase in people seeking treatment for flight anxiety.

Two days after our flight, I check in on Elias. The EasyJet course worked for him, as it has for 95% of participants. He’s making up for lost time: “I’m flying to Portugal in July and France soon as well. I’m booking Ibiza next week.” And me? I’m plotting my next flight, confident that any shift in motion or sound is all perfectly normal.

Tips to overcome a fear of flying

Professor Rob Bor is a certified clinical and aerospace psychologist who helps people overcome their flying anxieties.

Knowledge is power

Before your flight, familiarise yourself with the sounds and movements the plane will make so they don’t surprise or scare you.

Embrace turbulence

Picture the plane in a pocket of air, like a blueberry in jelly. When the jelly moves, the blueberry moves within it; it doesn’t fall out.

Control your breathing

Slowing your breathing slows your heart rate and calms you down. Consciously manage your breathing, taking deep, slow breaths in, then exhaling fully.

Trick your brain

Clenching and unclenching your buttocks tricks the central nervous system, which is subconsciously tensing your body when anxious. By deliberately tensing one body part, you can regain control.

Take a Fear of Flying course

Tailored courses demystify the flight experience, teach coping mechanisms for anxiety and provide hands-on support for nervous passengers.