NEW DELHI – India has experienced a number of significant aviation incidents over the past few decades. Most recently, an Air India airplane carrying more than 240 passengers crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
In August 2020, an Air India Express flight faced tragedy while repatriating Indian citizens affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aircraft skidded off the runway amid heavy rainfall in Kerala’s Kozhikode, breaking into two. Unfortunately, the accident claimed 18 lives, including both pilots, and left over 120 passengers injured. This ill-fated flight had originated from Dubai.
Looking back to May 2010, another Air India flight suffered a catastrophic accident. Upon arrival from Dubai, the airplane overshot the runway in Mangalore and descended over a cliff. The resulting disaster led to the deaths of 158 of the 166 people aboard. The wreckage, belonging to a Boeing 737-800, was scattered across the hillside.
In July 2000, a flight operated by Alliance Air ended in catastrophe when the Boeing 737-200 crashed into a residential neighborhood close to its intended landing site in Patna. The fire that ensued led to the deaths of over 50 passengers as well as five residents on the ground.
One of the most harrowing air collisions in history occurred in November 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Boeing 747 collided in midair with a Kazakhstan Airline jet as it was approaching Delhi airport. This horrific incident resulted in the loss of all 349 lives on both jets, marking it as one of the deadliest aviation disasters ever recorded.
Further back in April 1993, another tragic event unfolded as an Indian Airlines 737-200 collided with a truck beyond the runway during takeoff in Aurangabad. The plane ultimately crashed, leading to the deaths of 55 passengers out of 118 onboard.