Here is a list of the deadliest plane disasters in the 21st century, excluding the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks: On July 17, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 was shot down over rebel-held eastern Ukraine en route to Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam. All 298 people aboard the Boeing 777 were killed, including 193 Dutch nationals.

The Air India plane crash resulted in one of the deadliest aircraft crashes in the world, claiming the lives of 241 souls on board and many others on the ground, with only one survivor successfully walking out of the accident scene.

As anguished families wait for the return of their loved ones’ remains, tensions are mounting over the slow pace of DNA identification following the deadly Air India crash. More than three days on, only a fraction of the victims have been identified, and grief is giving way to anger, reports Namita Singh from Ahmedabad

From pilot errors to runway issues and even bombings, each incident holds lessons that shaped how flights are operated in the country.