Worst plane crashes: 10 deadliest air disasters in history

Dubai: The aviation industry faces another tragic reminder of its safety vulnerabilities with the crash of Air India Flight 171 on June 12, 2025, in Ahmedabad, India. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members when it crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad International Airport. This latest incident adds to a sobering list of major aviation disasters that continue to challenge aviation safety despite technological advances. The following compilation examines ten of the most significant commercial aviation disasters of recent years.

Date: December 29, 2024.

Fatalities: 179

The latest and most devastating accident took place on December 29, 2024 when a Boeing 737-800, operated by Jeju Air and traveling from Bangkok, Thailand, to Seoul, met with disaster while trying to make an emergency landing at Muan Airport. Tragically, all 175 passengers and four out of the six crew members lost their lives when the plane belly-landed and veered off the runway, erupting in flames upon colliding with a wall. Two crew members managed to survive.

Date: December 25, 2024

Fatalities: 38

An Azerbaijan Airlines flight, J2-8243, traveling from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed close to Aktau in Kazakhstan on December 25, 2024. The tragedy resulted in 39 fatalities, while at least 29 passengers survived. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the plane was shot down from the ground in Russia. Reports suggest that it faced altitude and speed issues, possibly due to mechanical failure, which led to an emergency declaration. Adverse weather conditions, including dense fog, exacerbated the situation.

Date: 21 March, 2022

Fatalities: 132

The aircraft entered a steep dive and crashed into mountainous terrain during a domestic flight from Kunming to Guangzhou. The cause remains under investigation, though preliminary reports suggest possible deliberate action.

Date: January 8, 2020

Fatalities: 176

The aircraft was shot down by Iranian surface-to-air missiles shortly after takeoff from Tehran, amid heightened tensions between Iran and the United States.

Date: May 22, 2020

Fatalities: 97  

The aircraft crashed in a residential area while attempting to land at Karachi airport. The pilots had attempted a go-around after an initial landing attempt failed.

Date: December 27, 2019

Fatalities: 13

The plane had 95 passengers and five crew members on board when crashed near Almaty. A Bek Air plane with 93 passengers and five crew members on board crashed near the city of Almaty in Kazakhstan on December 27, 2019, shortly after taking off, killing at least 12 people, authorities in the Central Asian country said. The Fokker 100 aircraft, heading for the capital, Nur-Sultan, on a pre-dawn flight, "lost altitude during takeoff and broke through a concrete fence" before hitting a two-storey building, Kazakhstan's Civil Aviation Committee said in a statement

Date: March 10, 2019

Fatalities: 157

The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Addis Ababa. Similar to Lion Air 610, this crash was attributed to problems with the Maneuvering Characteristics

Date: October 29, 2018

Fatalities: 189

The aircraft crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta. 181 passengers and 8 crew members were on board, all of whom were declared dead. This was the first of two fatal 737 MAX crashes that led to the worldwide grounding of the aircraft type.

Date: October 31, 2015

Fatalities: 224

The Airbus A321-231 aircraft broke up in flight shortly after takeoff from Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, bound for St. Petersburg, Russia. The crash was later attributed to an onboard explosive device, and there were no survivors. The plane was carrying 217 passengers and 7 crew members.

Date: March 24, 2015

Fatalities: 150

The co-pilot deliberately crashed the aircraft into a mountainside during descent from Barcelona to Düsseldorf. This tragic incident led to major changes in cockpit security protocols worldwide.