2014: The year of aviation tragedies

The unfortunate series of events started in the wee hours of March 8, 2014 past 1:00am, with the breaking news of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines (MAS) aircraft flight MH 370.

Four months on and not even fully recovered from the horrifying news – with the plane still missing – the nation and the world over was again shocked with reports saying that another Malaysian Airlines aircraft was involved in yet another catastrophe – it was shot down in the politically volatile area of Eastern Ukraine.

And more recently, Indonesia-owned Air Asia aircraft, flight QZ8501 was reported missing for almost two days before debris and bodies from the aircraft were found.

Astro Awani, has been on constant watch from the day MH370 went missing, reporting day in and day out for our audience, covering these tragedies that affect the whole world in such an unimaginable way.

The future of the Malaysian aviation industry seems bleak for now.

Here is a recap of the three shattering disasters this year involving the two Malaysian aircrafts and the Air Asia Indonesia aircraft throughout the year 2014.

8 March 2014, Saturday: Just as Malaysians were turning in into a deep slumber after a long day, we were awoken with ghastly news - that a local aircraft, the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 heading from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, went missing. Malaysia Airlines pride itself for it's safety record and now, with such shocking news, many were doubtful, some in total disbelief. How could this be possible? How could such a thing happen to such a trusted airline? The media, both local and international, clamored to break the news. Astro Awani, being a 24-hour news channel, started reporting the claims from our midnight bulletin. However, no officials came forward to confirm this speculations - until the first press conference held, on the morning of the same day. Millions were watching in anticipation, wishing that the rumors were not true. But the looks on the faces of the officials told all, as these words were uttered by MAS Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370."

"Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today. There has been speculation that the aircraft has landed at Nanming. We are working to verify the authenticity of the report and others."

Eight countries around the world have extended help with the Search and Rescue (SAR) missions to find the missing plane. Global solidarity is evident in this situation, and Malaysia would not be able to find the aircraft in such a wide area in the Indian Ocean without help.

Australia sent their P3 Orion aircraft amongst others to help with the search.

8 countries help with the search in the vast Indian Ocean.

Astro Awani also documented the mystery of the disappearance of MH370 through photos:

Photo Gallery 1

Photo Gallery 2

No words can express the sadness and grief felt by the relatives and friends of the victims.

Chinese nationalities was of the most number on board, with 152 passengers with 1 infant.

To date, the mystery remains a mystery. Will the jigsaw puzzle be solved? Only time will tell. Until then, the MH370 incident will never be forgotten and it will always be in the trail of history.

The nation and the world mourns as MH370 was confirmed "missing" and search missions still leading nowhere. Seen here, a MAS staff could not hold back his sorrow he and his colleagues pray in congregation for the loss.

17 July 2014, Thursday: On this particularly chilly night in Kuala Lumpur, mobile phones everywhere started beeping, notifying people of tweets and messages from friends and family saying that another Malaysian aircraft was in trouble.

Same airline (MAS), same aircraft model (Boeing 777), both in the same year. What are the odds? The confirmation came almost immediately by MAS officials:

Malaysia Airlines has lost contact of MH17 from Amsterdam. The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace. More details to follow.
— Malaysia Airlines (@MAS) July 17, 2014

However this time, the plane is not missing. Hours later, it was reported that the plane crashed in a rural area of Eastern Ukraine.

Four months after the MH370 tragedy, another Malaysian Airlines aircraft got shot in the Eastern Ukraine.

Bodies, burnt suitcases, torn safety jackets, plane debris - all scattered around the open field in a heart-wrenching sight.

Astro Awani also managed to compile photographs of the unfortunate event in our photo galleries here.

Hakim Rahman, Astro Awani's reporter reporting in Ukraine.

On 22 August 2014, the entire nation mourned, and indulge in a one-minute silence to respect the victims of flight MH17.

It appeared that the plane was likely shot by either the Ukrainian government, or the Pro-Russia separatists who are at war with each other. However, both parties have denied any responsibility to date.

28 December 2014, Sunday: As the year starts to draw it's curtains, with the nation being swarmed with the worst flood incident in Malaysian history, as if that is not enough, we received news over a missing flight involving the Malaysia-based airline brand, Air Asia.

Although the aircraft that was missing (but now found crashed in the Java Sea) is owned by the AirAsia Indonesia, 49% of its ownership is still held by the AirAsia Group.

Most passengers were Indonesian heading from Surabaya to Singapore, and just a few hours into the flight, it went unstable due to stormy weather.

An AirAsia Indonesia aircraft was reported to have been missing on the morning of December 28, 2014.

As bodies were found one by one through the Search and Rescue (SAR) efforts, with remains collected for investigations to be done further, the families hopes shattered.

Nothing can heal broken hearts, but time.

IN ADVERSITY WE RISE

With three aviation tragedies in a row for Malaysia, the future of the industry seems bleak. Not only travelers becoming more wary to fly, their trust is also hard to be regained.

Najib, in black, walks out after a press conference with his head down. The year has been a tough one for the Prime Minister, with huge responsibilities on his shoulders to ensure that Malaysia recover from the triple-tragedy.

The whole world got together in prayers regardless of religion and race.

As the world mourns, the only way to go is forward. And with the only way to make it is by supporting each other.

Only time will heal the grieving hearts.

Malaysia's counterpart, Indonesia, has also lost many souls. This is a time for both nations to help one another in this tragic situation.

As for the mystery of where MH370 could be, only time will tell. But for now the search for it continues, and until there is evidence, hope still lives on. What we can take out of this is that these tragedies are a test for us all - whether or not we can rise in times of adversity, whether or not we can learn to accept and be stronger in times that break us, and whether or not we can put aside our needs for another being. And going into 2015, I know that Malaysia will move forward with head held high, hand-in-hand, and stronger than ever. The year 2015 will be the year Malaysia show the world how gracefully we grow out of such unimaginable catastrophe.