"I had to fly from Delhi to Mumbai on Monday (16 January) for a work-related meeting. When I received a notification about the Nepal air crash, it mentioned several feared dead. I just froze. I then panic-called my manager and cried, asking him if I could cancel the trip," 30-year-old Swati Jain, who works as a consultant in a Gurugram-based MNC, told FIT.
"I don't think I will be able to fly anytime soon. Not sure if my manager understands this," adds Jain, who was diagnosed with aerophobia – extreme fear of travelling in an airplane – and has been under treatment for the last eight months.
The news of the Nepal crash – where a Yeti Airlines plane with 72 people on board, crashed into a river gorge while landing in Pokhara – has triggered a fresh wave of anxiety in Jain.
"The recent headlines of the plane crash, all sorts of weird things happening on flights, and every flight-related notification – they are relentless. It is like they are after me to let me know that planes are the worst way to travel," says 27-year-old Suhasini Krishnan, a Mumbai-based curator, who also has an extreme fear of flying.
Taking a flight comes with some degree of risk – but the chances of being involved in a plane crash are minuscule, shows data. While the Nepal air crash is the first such incident in 2023, there have been six fatal air crashes in 2022 – roughly one in every 4 million flights that take off.
But aerophobia is more common than you might think – with the disorder affecting at least 25 million adults in the US alone.
What Triggers Aerophobia?
"Aerophobia essentially is an anxiety disorder – usually combined with claustrophobia or fear of heights. Incidents of an airplane crash, terrorist attack, or minor accidents trigger excessive situation phobia. It consolidates these fears – and makes it worse for those already suffering from it," Dr Vikas Gaur, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad, explained to FIT.
For Somya Lakhani, a journalist by profession, the fear of flying was triggered when she was a child – when IC 814, en route from Kathmandu in Nepal to New Delhi, was hijacked in 1999. She followed minute-to-minute updates of the incident, and it was etched in her mind.
"I took my first flight almost 10 years after the incident, in 2008, and the unrealistic fear I had as a child stuck with me. I kept questioning if I will make it out alive, I kept fearing that the plane will get hijacked. I ask myself these questions before each flight I board. I tend to avoid flights as much as I can – I don't mind sitting in the train for 18 hours."Somya Lakhani
But it is not always external incidents that trigger aerophobia – turbulent flights, witnessing minor accidents, or losing someone to a mishap may also trigger it.
"I have always been claustrophobic. I remember many years ago, when I was boarding, the air conditioner on the flight was turned off. Later, I learnt that planes do this very often to save fuel. I felt hot, and the air was stuffy – and it triggered a panic attack. Since then, I have internalised that flying is not suitable for my body," narrates Krishnan.
Jain, meanwhile, says that she developed aerophobia only three years ago – after she had a near-death experience on a turbulent flight.
"I was flying from Delhi to Kathmandu – and I genuinely thought I was going to die. The anxiety induced by turbulence made me puke my guts out, and luckily, it was just my family next to me. I fainted the moment the flight landed – and since then, I am terrified of taking a flight. I have physical manifestations of fear, like intense stomach pain, every time I take a flight."
How People Cope: The Stringent Routine Before Flights
"My main ritual is to freak out, freak out, and freak out – for at least one month before the flight," says Lakhani.
"I am deadly scared of heights – but not when my feet is on the ground and I am in control of the situation. So, I never take the window seat. If I am travelling with my family or best friends, I take the middle seat. Being squished between them gives me a sense of safety. As the flight takes off, I close my eyes and ears as hard as possible – almost like I am curling up. I relax only when the plane is stable."
Out of fear, Lakhani also refrains from using the washroom on a flight or removing her seatbelt before she lands.
"I had to take a flight for work from Delhi to Kochi and back, during peak monsoon. There was such turbulence on that flight, that I literally curled up and started screaming 'Mummy!' on the flight. The flight put me off for a long time," she adds.
Krishnan feels that the more she has under control, the more relaxed she feels.
"I never take a middle seat – because of claustrophobia. I always prefer the aisle. The more I have things under control, the calmer I feel. So, I always pre-book my seat, buy water at the terminal or ask for a bottle as soon as I board. I download tonnes of videos and other content to distract me while I am on the flight," she adds.
What Doctors Recommend
Dr Manish Jain, Senior Consultant Psychiatry, BLK-Max Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, says people may have mild to extreme aerophobia – with most being able to take a flight with prior preparation.
"In severe cases, the person may not be able to take a flight at all. But in most cases, they are able to take a planned flight, with prior preparation. One way to do that is to travel with people you trust – who understand your anxieties and can calm them."Dr Manish Jain to FIT
Dr Gaur says that in his experience, breathing exercises are shown to help a lot of people who have aerophobia – as it does for people who experience panic attacks.
But the most important thing, both experts say, is to seek help – because aerophobia is real, and can make a real difference in the lives of people.
"A lot of people think that it is not even a real condition, but let me tell you, it very much is. Treatment can definitely help people come to terms with it. A person can be given cognitive therapy or exposure therapy, which may help them cope better. There is now something called 'virtual reality therapy', where simulation makes a person feel like they are on a flight, to help them face the challenge better."Dr Viraj Gaur to FIT
There should also be trust in medication, as certain people are prescribed medicines that help them cope with anxiety.
Aerophobia – Holding People Back From Opportunities
But battling aerophobia can leave people at a great disadvantage. It may hold them back from opportunities that would otherwise seem to be for granted.
"This extreme fear interferes with my life a lot. Every time I want to go abroad to study, I am unable to make that jump – because I think about whether I will be able to travel back home if there is an emergency. It has held me back. While I do take flights on my own, I sometimes depend on others and align my travel plans to theirs."Somya Lakhani to FIT
For Jain, who is engaged in consultancy and has to travel for work, taking sudden flights is always a challenge, and more often than not, she has to back out of an opportunity and pass it on to a team member.
"This will be possible only till a certain point in my career, which is why I am taking treatment. If I want to progress and become a manager or a team leader, I cannot keep saying no to opportunities – because of something that is not in my control," says Jain.
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