Would you agree that travelling by plane seems like a bad idea compared to other, more close-to-ground transportation models? But the truth cannot be farther from that.
Statistics show that commercial air travel is 99.993% safe, with 0.07 fatalities per billion passenger kilometres. The worst is walking, with a 94.6% safety percentage. Even public buses are less secure than aviation, recording 99.96% safety.
Nevertheless, aviation accidents, while rare, remind us of the fragility of human life and the importance of safety in air travel. The year 2024 witnessed several heartbreaking incidents worldwide, affecting thousands of lives. Although rare, tragedies in the sky catch the attention most of the time because they are huge with large life losses compared to a road accident.
Here is a detailed look at the most significant aviation tragedies of the year:
- South Korea: Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 Crash
On December 29, Jeju Air Flight 7C2216, flying from Bangkok, Thailand, to Muan International Airport in South Korea, tragically crashed. The accident resulted in the loss of all 175 passengers and four of the six crew members. This incident is among the deadliest in South Korean aviation history.
- Brazil: Multiple Aviation Disasters
Brazil faced two devastating accidents in 2024:
Voepass Flight 2283: On August 11, an ATR-72 turboprop travelling from Cascavel to São Paulo crashed in the town of Vinhedo, killing all 62 onboard.
Private Plane Crash in Gramado: On December 22, a twin-engine Piper PA-42-1000 crashed into shops in Gramado’s city centre. All 10 onboard perished, and 17 people on the ground sustained injuries, making it a double tragedy for the nation.
- Kazakhstan: Azerbaijan Airlines Flight J2-8243
An Embraer E190 operated by Azerbaijan Airlines crashed near Aktau, Kazakhstan, on December 25. Of the 68 people onboard, 39 lost their lives, while 29 survived. The survivors’ ordeal underscored the importance of emergency response during such disasters.
- Nepal: Saurya Airlines Tragedy
On July 24, a CRJ-200 aircraft belonging to Nepal’s Saurya Airlines crashed while taking off from Kathmandu for Pokhara. The fiery accident claimed 18 lives, leaving only the captain as the lone survivor.
- Malawi: Military Plane Crash
Malawi mourned a national tragedy on June 10 when Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, and seven others died in a military plane crash. The plane was en route from Lilongwe to Mzuzu.
- Thailand: Charter Flight TFT209
A domestic charter flight, TFT209, operated by Thai Flying Service Co., crashed on August 23 while flying from Suvarnabhumi to Trat. The Cessna Caravan C208B crash resulted in the loss of all nine passengers.
- Iran: Helicopter Crash Claims President’s Life
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, along with six others, died in a Bell 212 helicopter crash on May 19. The accident occurred in mountainous terrain near the Varzeqan region, close to the Azerbaijan border.
- Canada: Northwestern Air Plane Crash
On January 23, a plane carrying workers for global miner Rio Tinto crashed near Fort Smith in Canada’s Northwest Territories. The tragedy claimed six lives, leaving one passenger as the sole survivor.
- Japan: Runway Collision at Haneda Airport
In a rare and catastrophic runway collision, a Japan Airlines Airbus A350-941 collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on January 2 at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. While all 379 aboard the JAL flight escaped, five of the six crew on the smaller aircraft lost their lives.
- Singapore: Turbulence Turns Fatal
A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER, travelling from London to Singapore, encountered severe turbulence on May 21, causing 30 injuries and the death of one passenger from a suspected heart attack. The plane made an emergency landing in Bangkok.
(Images: Reuters, Global News)
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