The deadly crash of an Air India flight carrying more than 240 people on Thursday arrives after years of attempts to turn around the country's flag carrier — which had been plagued by tragedy and financial losses under prior state ownership.

In those talks, Boeing is edging forward as the front-runner to sell more of its 777X jets, two of the sources said.

While Air India has played a pivotal role in connecting India to the world, its history is checkered with multiple high-casualty incidents.