It wasn’t a great start of the year for aviation safety, with a runway collision at Tokyo’s Haneda airport and a door plug blowing out in mid-air from an Alaska Airlines 737 Max 9 making headlines within days of each other, and with four more fatal accidents involving regional and business aircraft in the following weeks.

Boeing, the maker of the 737, has been particularly under scrutiny once it emerged that the blowout was due to manufacturing problems, and some travelers are now actively choosing to avoid booking flights on Max 9 aircraft.

Understandably, anxiety around flying is hitting a high – but is there any reason for concern?

“I don’t believe that you should be worried,” says Geoffrey Thomas, an aviation safety expert and editor in chief of Airline Ratings, which publishes an annual list of the safest airlines.

“Certainly Boeing has had some production problems, which they’re working their way through, and it’s not a good look. But the bottom line is that there are so many checks in place now that I don’t believe anybody should be concerned.

“I would certainly not have any hesitation on getting on board a Boeing aircraft.”