'Too hard on brain': Flight phobia grips travellers after Ahmedabad Air India crash; bookings drop & cancellations spike

'I'm bloody terrified currently,' this is how people are reacting when it comes to taking flights after Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12. The flying anxiety has skyrocketed among flyers after the deadly incident that claimed 242 lives, with many taking experts' help to overcome the 'flying fear.'

A wave of panic has gripped flyers and led to a sharp surge in fear-of-flying therapy requests, ticket cancellations, and unusually specific questions about aircraft types.

Dinesh K, a retired Indian Air Force wing commander and founder of Cockpit Vista, told Reuters that demand for his $500 therapy course has exploded since the Air India flight crash incident.


"Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane - the sounds, motion, vibrations ... exposure therapy is the only solution," Dinesh told Reuters.

His centre used to receive about 10 enquiries a month. Since the crash, it's logged over 100.

Crash footage sparks anxiety
Chilling videos of the Dreamliner bursting into flames shortly after take-off have gone viral across social media. It's not just fuelling fear, it's inducing insomnia, panic attacks, obsessive checking of flight trackers, and even refusal to let loved ones fly, say mental health professionals, according to Reuters.

Some people are unable to focus on daily life while a loved one is flying, said psychologist Pankti Gohel, describing cases of "debilitating anxiety".

According to Google Trends, searches for "flying fear" in India peaked the day after the crash and remain high.

Airlines under scrutiny, bookings nosedive
The impact is being felt across the travel industry. Tour operators report a dramatic drop in bookings and a spike in cancellations, especially on Air India routes.

"Flight bookings are down by 15–20%. Cancellations are up by 30–40%," Ravi Gosain, president of the Indian association of tour operators, told Reuters.

Even more telling: Travellers are now filtering bookings by aircraft type, actively avoiding Dreamliners and Boeing planes.

"People don't want to hear about Dreamliners," he added.

For many flyers in India, the crash and its terrifying visuals were a psychological tipping point. While flying remains statistically one of the safest modes of transport, with only 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, emotions, not stats, are now driving decisions.