The relative safety of airlines is solely, solely, solely because of stringent safety regulation. If you see anyone arguing that nuclear power could be cheaper if we just waived regulation, you can safely disregard their opinion as hopelessly myopic.
As a blank check, sure. But there are specific regulations that could be removed. For example, the U.S. prohibits automatic load following equipment in nuclear plants, while the French allow it. It would allow for a control room operator to not have to constantly micromanage the reactor.
