Fatal flights: A year of devastating crashes across globe

In 2024, the aviation industry was marked by a series of devastating accidents that claimed the lives of hundreds of passengers and crew members worldwide.

The most tragic of these incidents occurred in South Korea, where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 crash became the deadliest air disaster in the country’s history, killing 179 people, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The fatal crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 in Muan County, South Korea, on December 29, which claimed the lives of 179 people, stands as the deadliest air disaster in the country’s history. The accident is one of several major aviation incidents that occurred throughout 2024. Below are some of the most severe air crashes of the year:

South Korea
On December 29, Jeju Air flight 7C2216, an international flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport, tragically crashed, killing all 175 passengers and four of the six crew members aboard.

Brazil
In August, Voepass flight 2283, an ATR-72 turboprop en route from Cascavel to Sao Paulo, crashed in the town of Vinhedo, claiming the lives of all 62 people on board.
In a separate incident on December 22, a twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 private plane crashed into shops in the tourist city of Gramado, southern Brazil, killing all 10 people aboard and injuring 17 people on the ground.

Kazakhstan
On December 25, Azerbaijan Airlines flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190 travelling from Baku to Grozny, Russia, crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, resulting in 38 fatalities. Twenty-nine people survived the crash.

The flight carried a total of 67 people, including 62 passengers and 5 crew members, as confirmed by Azerbaijan Airlines. Among those aboard were 37 Azerbaijani nationals, 16 Russian citizens, 6 from Kazakhstan, and 3 from Kyrgyzstan.

The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, with Azerbaijani authorities expressing their determination to ensure accountability and clarity regarding the incident.

Nepal
A CRJ-200 aircraft belonging to Saurya Airlines crashed and caught fire on July 24 while taking off from Kathmandu to Pokhara, killing 18 people, except for the captain, who survived.

Malawi
On June 10, a military plane crashed during a flight from Lilongwe to Mzuzu, killing Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, and eight other passengers.

Thailand
On August 23, domestic charter flight TFT209, a Cessna Caravan C208B, crashed 100 kilometres southeast of Bangkok, killing all nine people on board.

Iran
On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with six other passengers and the crew, perished in a crash of a U.S.-made Bell 212 helicopter in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.

Canada
On January 23, a Northwestern Aeroplane carrying workers for global miner Rio Tinto crashed near Fort Smith in Canada's remote Northwest Territories, killing six people, including four passengers and two crew members. One passenger survived the incident.

Japan
On January 2, a Japan Airlines (JAL) Airbus A350-941 collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on the runway at Tokyo’s Haneda airport. All 379 people aboard the JAL plane escaped unharmed, while five of the six crew members on the Coast Guard plane were killed.

Singapore
On May 21, a Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, en route from London to Singapore, encountered severe turbulence, resulting in the death of one passenger from a suspected heart attack and injuries to 30 others. The aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Bangkok.

By Aghakazim Guliyev