Aerophobia, or fear of flying, can cause severe anxiety and affect a person’s quality of life. Exposure therapy is a standard treatment that may help.

Aerophobia, or aviophobia, is a fear of flying on a plane or another form of air transport. Typically, health experts describe a phobia as an irrational fear response that is disproportionate to the danger it represents. Strategies to help a person overcome aerophobia can include a combination of therapy and medications.

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Aerophobia is a fear of flying on a plane or other air transport, such as a helicopter. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) classifies this fear as a specific phobia. People sometimes also refer to the fear of flying as aviophobia.

According to the National Institute of Mental HealthTrusted Source, a specific phobia is an intense and irrational fear of something that, in reality, poses little or no danger. Even though someone with a specific phobia may realize the fear is irrational, they still have symptoms of anxiety in relation to the phobia.

Up to 12.5% of peopleTrusted Source worldwide may experience a specific phobia at some point in their lives. Anxiety UK reports that aerophobia may affect 1 in 10 people.

Aerophobia can cause distress and affect someone’s quality of life. It can limit a person’s opportunities to travel for work or leisure or can cause severe anxiety when they cannot avoid flying.

Behavioral therapy is one of the most effectiveTrusted Source treatments for specific phobias. Therapy may include processes such as flooding and desensitization, which aim to expose the person to the situation or object they fear.

Therapists teach people techniques for coping with the anxiety related to their phobia, such as breathing control and relaxation. For example, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for aerophobia reinforces the realization that flying is safe.

The authors of a 2023 case reportTrusted Source found that a combination of exposure therapy and anxiety medications enabled a 29-year-old with aerophobia to take his first two flights in 5 years.

The results of a small 2021 study with 39 participants suggest that virtual reality exposure therapy with CBT may be more effective for aerophobia than CBT alone. In virtual reality therapy, a therapist uses a computer screen to simulate the flying experience.

Doctors may prescribeTrusted Source medications such as beta-blockers or benzodiazepines for people who experience panic attacks in relation to phobias. Some doctors may also recommendTrusted Source other drugs, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).

However, some of these drugs may not be suitable to take during a flight because of their sedative side effects. They may impair a person’s ability to follow instructions and may increase the risk of blood clots.

Scientists do not knowTrusted Source the exact reasons why specific phobias develop. However, phobias may develop as a learned behavior. For example, they may result from a negative experience, from copying the behavior of others, or from associating negative emotions, such as the stress of traveling, with being on a plane.

The authors of a 2016 reviewTrusted Source explored the processes that contribute to aerophobia. They explain that a perceived threat drives aerophobia. They believe the perceived threat is related to the likelihood of negative flying-related outcomes, such as accidents or turbulence, and the experience of anxiety sensations.

They explain that aerophobia develops when someone fails to disconfirm perceived threats and feared outcomes. The failure to disconfirm happens for the following reasons:

  • Focusing attention on internal sensations related to perceived threats creates hypervigilance and causes the person to miss cues that indicate safety.
  • Cognitive biases cause the person to overestimate the chances of negative outcomes.
  • The person may have preexisting beliefs about being in control of a situation and being able to cope with adversity.
  • If the feared outcome does not occur, the person may believe that behavioral strategies such as escape, avoidance, and suppression of thoughts prevented it — but, in reality, the outcome did not occur because it was unlikely that it would.
  • Recalling past experiences and imagining future stressful events associated with flying will confirm the threat and worsen anxiety.

The review authors state that people who have aerophobia may have other phobias, such as claustrophobia (fear of confined spaces) or acrophobia (fear of heights). They may also have other anxiety disorders or thought processes that contribute to this phobia. For example, while on plane, they may experience anxiety stemming from a loss of control.

People with aerophobia may experienceTrusted Source severe anxiety during all stages of flying:

  • in anticipation of flying, such as when booking a vacation
  • while waiting in the airport and boarding the plane
  • during the flight
  • during takeoff and landing

The most common signs and symptoms that people experience with specific phobias include:

If someone has a panic attack associated with flying, they may experience the following symptomsTrusted Source in addition to those above:

  • trembling or shaking
  • sweating, chills, or hot flushes
  • heart palpitations
  • feelings of unreality or detachment
  • numbness or tingling sensations
  • feelings of choking
  • fear of losing control or losing their mind

People with aerophobia may avoid flying completely or feel extremely anxious if they need to fly. They may inconvenience themselves by arranging alternative types of transport that take longer or are more expensive. They may not be able to fulfill their desires to see other parts of the world, which may also limit their interaction with family members or friends.

A specific phobia such as aerophobia may haveTrusted Source the following features, which doctors can use to diagnose the condition:

  • Flying provokes immediate fear or anxiety.
  • A person avoids flying for 6 months or more.
  • Aerophobia affects a person’s work or social life.
  • A person experiences anxiety that is not due to another anxiety disorder.

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America suggests the following tips for managing aerophobia:

  • Tell other travelers what they can do to help.
  • Value each flight as exposure therapy.
  • Learn how airplanes handle turbulence and remind oneself that they are safe.
  • Understand that anxiety tricks a person into feeling unsafe, and outsmart it by embracing any discomfort.
  • Know that anticipatory anxiety is often more intense than the anxiety of being on the plane itself.
  • Remind oneself that feeling anxious does not mean the situation is truly dangerous.

A person can enlist the help of a therapist or doctor to help them overcome aerophobia. These health professionals may suggest CBT, exposure therapy, or other treatments.

Read on to learn more about managing aerophobia.

Aerophobia is a specific phobia of flying. It can cause severe anxiety symptoms and affect a person’s quality of life. Treatment typically involves behavioral therapy such as exposure therapy or CBT. In some cases, a doctor may also recommend anti-anxiety medications.