Two United Airlines Boeing 737s are parked at the gate at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on July 7, 2022.

Wilfredo Lee/AP

Despite a string of high-profile flight mishaps on United Airlines flights in recent days, commercial air travel is still very safe, experts say.

“Planes that we fly on today, they’re safer than they’ve ever been,” says Anthony Brickhouse, a professor of aerospace safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla.

This past week, United Airlines was under the spotlight for a series of emergencies: Last Monday, the engine of one of its planes ingested bubble wrap and caught fire in mid-air. On Thursday, a tire of an aircraft fell off and smashed into a parked car shortly after takeoff. On Friday, one of its planes experienced a hydraulics issue.

No one was injured in any of the United incidents. The airline said in a statement that safety is its top priority and it will investigate each event.

The back-to-back emergencies come two months after a door plug tore off and left a gaping hole during an Alaska Airlines flight. No one aboard was seriously injured.

That plane, along with the jetliners involved in Monday and Thursday’s United incidents, was made by Boeing. Meanwhile, the plane involved in Friday’s emergency was made by Airbus.

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