The crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019, however, continues to stand as one of the deadliest in recent memory and a key moment in aviation history.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft operated by Ethiopian Airlines crashed minutes after departing Addis Ababa for Nairobi on March 10, 2019, killing all 157 people on board. The disaster shocked the nation and the world, prompting the global grounding of the entire Boeing 737 MAX fleet amid widespread safety concerns.

In light of the latest incident in India, here's a look at some of the world’s most catastrophic air crashes in recent years, tragedies that have shaped aviation safety debates and affected thousands of lives across continents.

2025 – United States (US)
On January 29, over 60 people were killed when an American Airlines regional passenger jet collided mid-air with a US Army Black Hawk helicopter. The aircraft plunged into the icy Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, marking one of the deadliest air incidents on US soil in recent years.

2024 – South Korea
Jeju Air’s international Flight 7C2216 crashed during landing at Muan International Airport on December 29, killing 179 people, including passengers and crew. It was South Korea’s worst aviation disaster to date.

2024 – Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190, crashed on December 25 after being diverted from Russia. The crash killed 38 people. Azerbaijani officials claimed the plane was accidentally shot from the ground while in Russian airspace, an allegation Moscow has yet to confirm.

2024 – Japan
On January 2, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350 collided with a smaller Coast Guard plane on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. While all 379 passengers on the commercial flight escaped, five of the six crew members on the Coast Guard aircraft died.

2022 – China
China Eastern Airlines Flight MU5735, a Boeing 737-800, crashed in the mountainous Guangxi region on March 21, killing all 132 people on board. It was the deadliest plane crash in China in nearly three decades.

2020 – Iran
On January 8, Iranian forces mistakenly shot down a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 shortly after take-off from Tehran, killing all 176 people aboard. Iranian authorities later blamed a radar misalignment and operator error.

2018 – Indonesia
Lion Air Flight JT610, a Boeing 737 MAX, crashed into the Java Sea just after departing Jakarta on October 29, killing all 189 people on board. The tragedy, combined with the Ethiopian Airlines crash months later, led to the temporary global grounding of the 737 MAX.

2014 – Malaysia
Malaysia Airlines suffered two devastating losses in the same year. On March 8, Flight MH370 disappeared en route to Beijing with 239 people on board; its wreckage has never been found. On July 17, Flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine amid conflict in the region, killing all 298 people aboard.

--Reuters/ChannelAfrica--