It's certainly not going to destroy the world, but it could...

It's certainly not going to destroy the world, but it could potentially wipe out a significant number of people, in third world countries even if not in the developed world. However, it doesn't have to actually be a significant problem to freak people out and make them change what they do, especially in terms of travel. The couple of lost planes recently weren't at all significant to anything other than the individuals directly affected, but that doesn't mean everyone responded rationally.