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Monday's crash, which happened just 13 minutes after takeoff, marked the first critical incident involving the new 737 Max jets.
Despite its grip on the market, Lion Air has been criticized in the past over poor operational management and safety measures, which led to its exclusion from operating in European airspace in 2007 because of safety concerns.
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That ban was lifted in June 2016.
And on Sunday, just a day before the fatal crash, the same jet experienced technical issues with its altitude and airspeed readings, forcing the captain to hand over control to the first officer, according to logs obtained by the BBC.
Monday's crash was the latest in a string of at least 15 safety incidents involving Lion Air over the last decade and a half.
The plane skidded and hit trees before stopping about 275 meters (300 yards) from the end of the runway. There were no fatalities but the plane was declared damaged beyond repair.
In November 2004, a Lion Air plane skidded off the runway during heavy rains in Solo, Central Java.
The plane swerved down the runway, sustaining significant damage including a detached landing gear. There were no fatalities but the plane was damaged beyond repair.
In June 2007, the European Union announced a ban on 51 Indonesian airlines including including Lion Air because of unsafe practices. The decision followed reports of deteriorating air safety standards and deregulation of the country’s aviation sector in the late 1990s, Reuters said.
In February 2009, one of the company's flights landed with broken nose gear.
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee reported that the flight to Batam likely had a broken nose gear which moved out to the nose wheel well structure.
No injuries were reported.
And just a month later in March 2009, a Lion Air flight from to Jakarta ran off the runway upon landing.
In March 2009, the flight sustained substantial damage upon landing. It was predicted that the aircraft "was not stabilized" in its approach to the runway.
Passengers and crew were evacuated via a door escape slide, and no one was injured.
In November 2010, a Lion Air flight from Jakarta to Pontianak overran the runway upon landing.
A few people sustained minor injuries. The accident reportedly caused the Supadio Airport in Pontianak to close for several hours.
The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Committee reported there had been 13 previous pilot reports indicating issues with the automatic speed brake deployment on landing between September and October 2010, according to AV Herald. Despite maintenance, the issue was unresolved before the landing fail.
April 2013, a Lion Air flight from Bandung to Bali landed short of the runway and landed in the sea.
No one was injured in the collision, but both planes sustained damage. The accident was reported to be a miscommunication about inbound and outbound traffic.
Passengers were evacuated and there were no fatalities.
And on October 29, Lion Air flight JT 610 from Jakarta to Pangkal Pinang crashed with at least 189 on board, including passengers, crew, and pilots.
The incident marks the 15th accident involving a Lion Air plane over the last decade and a half.
The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the company's newest and most advanced jet.
The flight crew contacted air traffic controllers for permission to turn the plane around just minutes after takeoff but lost contact with authorities leading up to the crash.
It is believed that everyone on the plane did not survive.
Relatives are still searching to find traces of their loved ones, though only debris and body parts have been recovered, Reuters said.
Divers are still trying to locate the plane's blackboxes.
No information has been released yet on why the plane crashed into the sea 13 minutes after takeoff, though FlightRadar24 data shows the plane moving erratically in its first few minutes.
The plane experienced a 726-foot (221 meter) drop over 21 seconds.