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I've seen many references here to a flight going around, and YouTube is filled with videos of it happening, but I don't recall ever having been on a commercial flight that had an aborted landing. It might have happened when I flew as a small child, but, having been really, really excited to fly, I think I'd have remembered that.

How often do commercial flights actually abort a landing and have to make another attempt?

I'm primarily curious about US statistics, but non-US would be interesting as well.

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  • $\begingroup$ related question about the cost of a go-around $\endgroup$ – Manu H Jul 13 '15 at 18:01
  • $\begingroup$ A) Thanks, @pondlife - I was looking for "go-around", not "Abort". B) so that's how Community♦ gets involved in closing a question. $\endgroup$ – FreeMan Jul 13 '15 at 19:01
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As mentioned here:

Go-arounds occur with an average rate of 1–3 per 1000 approaches.

Most of the videos on YouTube are of go-arounds because of weather. This is not a common scenario as many flights divert to other airports where weather is less severe.

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  • $\begingroup$ Since I don't think I've flown that many times, that seems to be well within my statistical sample size for having missed it. $\endgroup$ – FreeMan Jul 13 '15 at 17:27
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    $\begingroup$ @FreeMan - Go-arounds and diverts are rarer for commercial flights than private. First because airlines use pilots with thousands of hours' experience flying complex aircraft under IFR, and second because the 5-10 minutes inherent in a go-around can send ripples through an entire airport's flight/gate schedule if it happens at the wrong time or the flight's already late (headwind, delayed T/O), so pilots are pressured by their companies to get it right the first time even in a crosswind. $\endgroup$ – KeithS Jul 13 '15 at 18:31

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