How Safe Are Our Planes?

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On 24 March 2015, 150 people lost their lives in one of the worst European air crashes in recent memory when a Lufthansa-owned Airbus 320 heading from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the Alps. After initial concerns over mechanical failure or an act of terrorism, it soon turned out that this was no accident - the plane had been flown into the mountainside deliberately. The world began to realise that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz was a mass murderer.

So what really happened on that fateful morning in the French Alps? And who was Andreas Lubitz, the man who had killed 150 people? And where does the Alps air crash leave the airline industry? Are safety standards high enough? Are they being undermined by the tight profit margins of this highly competitive industry?

Journalist Matt Frei investigates if air travel remains the safest form of travel, examining the safety record of the airline industry and pilots as well as incidents involving pilot error or emotional breakdown. It explores the incredible pressures that today’s pilots, many of whom are relatively young, face in an increasingly cost-conscious aviation business and whether airlines have a framework to fully support those who feel stressed out.

This investigation by ITN Productions tells the full story of flight 4U 9525 and reveals some surprising answers.