Aviation disasters that have rocked the Middle East

EgyptAir MS804 is far from the first aviation tragedy to strike the region this century.

4 min read

The New Arab

19 May, 2016

Thousands have been killed in aviation disasters since 1999 [Getty]

An Egyptian passenger plane carrying 66 people is believed to have crashed into the Mediterranean Sea while on course towards Cairo from Paris on Thursday.

The cause of the suspected crash, as well as the fates of the passengers and crew, are yet to be officially verified - but this is not the first Middle Eastern aviation disaster to hit the headlines in recent years.

2016

19 May: MS804 EgyptAir travelling to Cairo from Paris crashes into the Mediterranean, believed to have killed all 66 on board.
Cause of crash: Yet to be confirmed.

19 March: Boeing 737-800 FlyDubai 981 travelling from Dubai to Russia's Rostov-on-Don crashes, killing all 62 on board.
Cause of crash: Aborted landing, still under investigation.

2015

31 October: Airbus A321 Russian Metrojet airliner crashes in the Sinai region as it flew towards Saint Petersburg from Sharm al-Sheikh, killing all 224 people on board.
Cause of crash: Islamic State group claimed bomb attack

2014

24 July: Air Algerie AH5017 crashed in Mali while travelling from Ouagadougou to Algiers, killing all 118 people on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions

11 February: Algerian military transport plane, Hercules C-130 crashes in mountainous region of Algeria as it travelled towards Constantine, killing all but one of 78 people on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions

2011

26 July: Moroccan military plane, another C-130 Hercules, crashes into a mountain near Guelmim in Morocco, killing all 78 on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions


	The Islamic State group claimed to have downed a Russian airliner with a bomb hidden in a drinks can [Getty]

2010

9 January: IranAir Boeing 727 crash-lands near Orumiyeh as it travelled from Tehran, killing 77 of 100 people on board.
Cause of crash: Technical failure

25 January: Ethiopian Airlines ET409 passenger jet crashes into the Mediterranean Sea shortly after taking off from Beirut, killing all 90 on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions and "pilot error"

12 May: Afriqiyah Airways 771 crashes while attempting to land near Tripoli as it travelled from Johannesburg, killing all but one of 104 people on board.
Cause of crash: Pilot error reported

2009

15 July: Caspian Airlines Tupolev plane 7908 crashed in the north of Iran as it travelled towards Armenia, killing all 168 passengers on board.
Cause of crash: Technical failure

30 June: Yemeni passenger plane 626 crashes in the Indian Ocean as it travelled towards Comoros from Sanaa, killing all but one of 153 people on board.
Cause of crash: Stalled on approach

2005

6 December: Iranian C-130 Hercules military transport plane crashes on the outskirts of Tehran, killing 110 people, including victims on the ground.
Cause of crash: Reported pilot error before collision with ten-storey apartment building


	Video: MS804 lost contact with Egypt about 175 miles from its coast

2004

3 January: Egyptian Flash Airlines 604 crashes into the Red Sea as it travelled towards Paris from Sharm al-Sheikh, killing all 141 people on board.
Cause of crash: Technical failure

2003

25 December: Chartered Boeing 727 crashed as it travelled from Benin towards Lebanon, killing all but 22 of the 135 people on board.
Cause of crash: Aircraft overload

8 July: Sudan Airways flight 139 crashes shortly after take-off as it headed towards Khartoum, killing all but one of 115 people on board.
Cause of crash: Technical failure

26 May: Ukrainian Yak-42 carrying mostly Spanish peacekeepers returning from Afghanistan crashes near the Black Sea, north-west of Turkey, killing all 74 people on board.
Cause of crash: Technical failure

6 March: Air Algerie 6289 headed towards Ghardaia crashes after taking off from Tamanrasset airport, killing all 102 passengers and crew.
Cause of crash: Engine failure

19 February: Iranian military transport II-76 aircraft travelling from Zahedan to Kerman crashed in mountainous terrain near its destination, killing all 276 on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions and pilot error reported

8 January: Turkish Airlines 634 travelling from Ataturk Airport towards Diyarbakir Airport crashes on descent, killing all 76 on board.
Cause of crash: Bad weather conditions and pilot error reported

2002

23 December: Antonov AN-140 commuter plane carrying aerospace experts crashes in Iran, killing all 46 people aboard.
Cause of crash: Human error reported

7 May: EgyptAir 843 crash-lands near Tunis while travelling from Cairo, killing 14 of 56 on board.
Cause of crash: Pilot error reported

12 February: IranAir 956 crashes in mountains west of Iran while travelling towards Khorramabad from Tehran, killing all 119 on board.
Cause of crash: Human error reported

23 August: Gulf Air 072 crashes into the waters of the Gulf while travelling from Cairo to Bahrain, killing all 143 people on board.
Cause of crash: Pilot error reported

1999

31 October: EgyptAir 990 crashes into Atlantic Ocean after taking off from John F Kennedy Airport in New York heading towards Cairo, killing all 217 on board.
Cause of crash: Deliberate crash - suicide by co-pilot reported