Air India plane crash: a look at the deadliest civil aviation disasters in recent times

The crash of an Air India aircraft on Thursday has once again thrust civil aviation safety into the global spotlight.

Flight AI171, bound from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, met with a tragic accident shortly after take-off, leading to a catastrophic loss of life and property.

Air India confirmed the incident, stating that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which departed Ahmedabad at 13:38 hours local time, was carrying 242 passengers and crew.

Among the passengers were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian.

The airline noted that the injured were being rushed to the nearest hospitals.

Tragically, the aircraft crashed into the intern doctors' hostel at Ahmedabad’s BJ Medical College, which is likely to add to the death toll.

While rescue and response efforts are ongoing, the situation remains grim.

Citing sources, Hindustan Times reported that at least 120 people may have died, though official confirmation is awaited.

If verified, this would make the crash one of the deadliest aviation disasters in India’s modern history.

Source: The Telegraph UK

The magnitude of this tragedy evokes comparisons to the 1996 mid-air collision over Charkhi Dadri, Haryana — the worst such incident in aviation history — which claimed 349 lives.

That crash spurred sweeping reforms in India’s aviation sector, including the mandatory use of Airborne Collision Avoidance Systems (ACAS).

The 2025 crash could similarly catalyze renewed scrutiny and reform.

Globally, 2025 has already proven to be a devastating year for civil aviation, with several high-profile crashes occurring within just the first half of the year:

Potomac River Mid-Air Collision – Washington, DC, USA (January 29, 2025):

An Army Black Hawk helicopter collided mid-air with a commercial CRJ700 passenger jet near Reagan National Airport.

All 67 people aboard perished — the deadliest US aviation disaster in nearly 25 years.

Light Air Services Beechcraft 1900 Crash – South Sudan (January 29, 2025):

A chartered Beechcraft carrying oil workers crashed after take-off from Rubkona. Twenty of the 21 on board were killed.

Jeju Air Boeing 737‑800 – Muan, South Korea (December 28, 2024):

Likely caused by a bird strike, the aircraft belly-landed and caught fire, killing 179 onboard — the worst domestic air disaster in South Korea in decades.

Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer ERJ‑190 – Aktau, Kazakhstan (Dec, 2024):

Crashed amid reports of being struck by a ground missile, with 38 fatalities

Other deadly crashes last year have included the helicopter crash that killed Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on May 19, and a Malawi military plane crash on June 10 that claimed the lives of the Vice President and nine others.

Passenger aircraft fatalities in 2024 were the highest since 2018, Source: Bloomberg

Yeti Airlines Flight 691 – Nepal (January 15, 2023):

An ATR 72-500 crashed during landing at Pokhara International Airport, killing all 72 on board.

China Eastern Airlines Flight 5735 – China (March 21, 2022):

A Boeing 737-800 nose-dived into the terrain, killing all 132 people aboard in what became China’s worst aviation disaster in decades.

Sriwijaya Air Flight SJ182 – Indonesia (January 9, 2021):

An ATR 72-600 crashed into the sea shortly after take-off, killing all 62 people onboard.

Lion Air Flight 610 – Indonesia (October 29, 2018):

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed into the Java Sea 13 minutes after take-off from Jakarta. All 189 people on board were killed.

It was the first fatal accident involving the 737 MAX series.

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 – Ethiopia (March 10, 2019):

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 crashed six minutes after take-off from Addis Ababa en route to Nairobi. All 157 people on board died.

The crash led to the global grounding of the 737 MAX fleet.