From mishaps to tragedies, the flight industry has already had a rough 2024

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Here are eight flight incidents passengers faced in early 2024, from the tragic crash in Japan to plane engines catching on fire.

Boom Supersonic just flew its test jet for the first time as it races to build the world's new speediest airliner — meet 'baby boom'

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The XB-1 is being fueled early in the morning at an airport with the control tower in the background.
The XB-1 on the day of its inaugural flight.

Boom Supersonic

No one died in a jet plane crash in 2023, the safest year in aviation history — but 2024 is off to a rockier start for airlines

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An aerial view shows burnt Japan Airlines' (JAL) Airbus A350 plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan January 3, 2024
The wreckage of a Japan Airlines A350 which caught fire on January 2. No one died on the plane, but five people in a coast guard plane were killed.

Kyodo/via REUTERS

She started as a flight attendant at age 20. Now, she's just been named Japan Airlines' first female president.

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Mitsuko Tottori; japan airlines plane
Japan Airlines' first-ever female president Mitsuko Tottori worked as cabin crew for 20 years with the company.

Marcio Rodrigo Machado/S3studio/Getty Images

I survived the 'Miracle on the Hudson' flight that crash-landed 15 years ago. The JAL accident brings it all back.

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Passenger Diane Higgins and Captain Chelsey
Diane Higgins and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. Higgins was a passenger on the "Miracle on the Hudson" flight, and Sullenberger was the pilot who safely landed the plane.

Courtesy of Diane Higgins

I worked in aviation safety before becoming a reporter. See why I think Japan Airlines' excellent safety video helped save 379 lives.

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Firefighters work at Haneda International Airport after Japan Airlines' A350 airplane caught on fire, in Tokyo, Japan January 2, 2024.
The terrible aftermath of the Japan Airlines crash of Flight 516. All passengers survived — and an excellent safety video likely helped.

Issei Kato/Reuters

Aviation safety is built on the 'Swiss cheese' model – but the Japan Airlines crash shows the holes sometimes line up

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JAL
It's usually a combination of several simultaneous issues that results in an air disaster.

STR

The captain of a plane that collided with a Japan Airlines jet said he was cleared for takeoff, but air-traffic-control transcripts tell a different story

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An aerial view shows burnt Japan Airlines' (JAL) Airbus A350 plane after a collision with a Japan Coast Guard aircraft at Haneda International Airport in Tokyo, Japan January 3, 2024
The wreckage of the Japan Airlines A350.

Kyodo/via REUTERS

These are the safest airlines in the world, according to one ranking

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air new zealand
Air New Zealand was named the world's safest airline by AirlineRatings.com.

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A passenger said the Japan Airlines evacuation was remarkably calm and people crawled like they were supposed to

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A Japan Airlines crash collided with another plane while landing, bursting into flames on the runway.
A Japan Airlines crash collided with another plane while landing on Tuesday.

Richard A. Brooks/Getty Images

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