Airliners reflect a nation's personality, but prestige can turn to shame
Passenger aircraft that carry a country's flag or name are often a point of pride and prestige, but sometimes things go tragically wrong
The airliner is much more than a machine used to get from one spot to another. It often carries deep symbolism, especially when flying for a national airline.
It can represent hope, modernity and a country's power. And when things go wrong, that once mighty plane can bring about deep national disgrace.
Malaysia now finds itself grappling with the horrific - and extremely unusual - loss of two of its airliners, just four months apart. It is a sad coincidence that also stings.
"It is unbelievable misfortune that struck [Malaysia Airlines] in such a short span of time. It will not affect Malaysia's name, but it will damage the airline's reputation," said James Chin, political analyst at Monash University in Malaysia.
The shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on Thursday over Ukraine comes just 131 days after the disappearance of Flight 370.
That Boeing 777 is presumed to be on the floor of the Indian Ocean but, without any scrap of wreckage found, it remains one of the biggest aviation mysteries.