LONDON, June 12 (Reuters) — An Air India passenger plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, resulting in numerous fatalities. Authorities say it marks the deadliest aviation disaster in over a decade.
Here’s a look at other major air disasters in recent years:
2025 – United States
On January 29, an American Airlines regional jet collided mid-air with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter before crashing into the icy Potomac River near Reagan National Airport, killing over 60 people.
2024 – South Korea
Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crashed during landing at Muan International Airport on December 29, killing all 175 passengers and four of six crew—South Korea’s deadliest aviation accident.
2024 – Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190, crashed after being diverted from Russia to Kazakhstan on December 25. Thirty-eight people died. Azerbaijan’s president claimed the aircraft was accidentally shot from the ground in Russia, though Moscow has not confirmed it.
2024 – Japan
On January 2, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a Coast Guard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. All 379 passengers aboard the airliner survived, but five of six crew on the smaller aircraft died.
2022 – China
A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into mountainous terrain in Guangxi on March 21, killing all 132 people. It was China’s worst air disaster in 28 years.
2020 – Iran
On January 8, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines flight shortly after takeoff from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard.
2019 – Ethiopia
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed minutes after departing Addis Ababa for Nairobi on March 19, killing all 157 people. This crash, along with a similar one in 2018, led to the global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet.
2018 – Indonesia
A Lion Air Boeing 737 MAX crashed into the Java Sea on October 29 shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board.
2014 – Malaysia
- MH17: Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, killing all 298 aboard.
- MH370: On March 8, Flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people. Despite extensive searches, the aircraft has never been found.
