One Plane Breaks Apart, Another Burns: Air Travel’s Rough 2024 Start

A burning inferno on the runway, followed four days later by a midair emergency involving a gaping hole in the side of the plane, isn’t the way the airline industry wanted to start 2024.

After a fraught 2023, in which safety specialists and regulators raised alarms about mounting risks, the air-travel business has experienced two near-catastrophic accidents already this year—one with multiple casualties.

A burning inferno on the runway, followed four days later by a midair emergency involving a gaping hole in the side of the plane, isn’t the way the airline industry wanted to start 2024.

After a fraught 2023, in which safety specialists and regulators raised alarms about mounting risks, the air-travel business has experienced two near-catastrophic accidents already this year—one with multiple casualties.