“Is air travel safe anymore?” This was probably one of the most recurring questions that popped up on everyone’s feed in 2025. The year saw some of the most tragic events in aviation history — the Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed 241 passengers became the deadliest plane crash in the 2020s, surpassing Jeju Air Flight 2216.
Here are some of the most shocking aviation incidents that claimed hundreds of lives and sent ripples through the global air travel industry in 2025.
1. American Airlines mid-air collision, 29 January:
A Bombardier CRJ700 airliner operating as American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter operating as Priority Air Transport 25 collided mid-air over the Potomac River in Washington, D.C.
All 67 people aboard both aircraft were killed in the crash, including 64 passengers and crew on the airliner and the three crew of the helicopter. It was the first major US commercial passenger flight crash since Colgan Air Flight 3407 in 2009, and the deadliest US air disaster since the crash of American Airlines Flight 587 in 2001.
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2. Med Jets Flight crash, 31 January:
Med Jets Flight 056 crashed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, shortly after takeoff, killing everyone on board and two people on the ground. The aircraft was on a medevac flight from Northeast Philadelphia Airport to Tijuana International Airport.
Six people, including a young patient and her mother, were on board. The aircraft struck multiple buildings and vehicles during the accident, which caused fires and explosions that killed two people on the ground and injured at least 23 others.
3. Bering Air crash, 6 February:
A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, operating as Bering Air Flight 445, disappeared from radar just 10 minutes before its scheduled arrival in Nome, Alaska. Its wreckage was later found 34 miles from Nome. All 10 passengers on board were killed, marking one of the deadliest aviation incidents of the year in the region.
4. Delta Connection Flight crash, 17 February:
Delta Connection Flight 4819 crashed while landing at Toronto Pearson International Airport on February 17, 2025, after flying from Minneapolis-Saint Paul. A preliminary investigation found the aircraft made a hard landing, causing a landing gear failure that led to the jet overturning on the runway. All 80 people on board survived, though 21 were injured.
5. Aerolínea Lanhsa Flight crash, 17 March:
A British Aerospace Jetstream, operated by Lanhsa Airlines as Flight 018, crashed into the sea after experiencing engine failure shortly after takeoff from Juan Manuel Galvez International Airport on the island of Roatan in the Caribbean Sea.
Twelve of the 17 people on board died. Honduran musician Aurelio Martínez was among the dead. The wreckage was found one kilometer off the coast, according to the authorities.
6. Air India Flight 171 crash, June 12:
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off at 1.38pm from Ahmedabad airport with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, bound for London Gatwick Airport. Less than a minute later, it crashed into the buildings of a medical university campus, located a few hundred meters (yards) from the runway.
Video footage showed it taking off but failing to gain altitude, before crashing in a fireball, which killed 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 on the ground. Only one passenger survived but was seriously injured. Among the dead were 200 Indians, 52 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
This was the first fatal accident and hull loss involving a Boeing 787 since the type entered service in 2011, as well as the deadliest plane crash in the 2020s, surpassing Jeju Air Flight 2216 (December 2024).
7. Angara Airlines Flight crash, 24 July:
The domestic flight operated by Angara Airlines from Ignatyevo Airport to Tynda Airport in Russia crashed during its second landing attempt in poor visibility. The aircraft, an Antonov An-24RV, crashed about 16 kilometres (10 miles) from Tynda airport into a forest. All 42 passengers and 6 crew members on board died.
8. Emirates cargo plane skids off runway, October 20:
An Emirates cargo plane, owned by Turkish firm Air ACT, flying from Dubai, skidded off the runway into the sea while landing at Hong Kong International Airport early on Monday.
Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed in the incident when the plane collided with their security patrol vehicle and pushed it into the sea, the city’s airport operator said. All four crew members on board the plane were rescued.
9. Mombasa Air Safari Flight crash, 28 October:
A Cessna 208 Caravan operating as Mombasa Air Safari Flight 203, en route to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, crashed in Kenya’s coastal region of Kwale, killing 11 people, mostly foreign tourists.
The airline said that eight Hungarian and two German passengers were onboard, and that the Kenyan pilot was also killed. The plane crashed in a hilly and forested area about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Diani airstrip.
10. UPS Airlines Flight crash, 4 November:
Flying from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky to Honolulu, the aircraft, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, suffered a separation of its left engine during its takeoff roll and crashed into an industrial area seconds after liftoff from the runway. The crash killed fourteen people, including all three crew members on board the aircraft.
11. Dubai Airshow crash, 21 November:
The last day of Dubai Airshow 2025 witnessed a tragic incident as an Indian fighter jet crashed during a manoeuvre, killing its pilot. Indian Air Force pilot, Wing Commander Namansh Syal, lost his life in the LCA Tejas crash.
The crash marked the second known Tejas accident, but the first fatal one at an international airshow. The jet crashed around 2.10pm on the last day of the air show while performing stunts. Spectators watched in shock as the aircraft nosedived and burst into flames after hitting the ground.
UAE expressed solidarity over the tragedy. The mortal remains of the brave pilot were repatriated to India the next day, with a ceremonial guard of honour.
12. Turkey plane crash, 23 December
The head of Libya’s armed forces and four other high ranking military officials died late Tuesday when their business jet crashed shortly after taking off from Ankara, officials in Turkey’s capital and Tripoli said.
The wreckage of their Falcon 50 aircraft was located by Turkish security personnel in the Haymana district near Ankara. Three crew members were also killed.
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