Ahmedabad disaster should act as a crucial alert and highlight the underlying issues plaguing India’s aviation industry
OdishaPlus Bureau
A new bride from the Balotra district of Rajasthan is traveling to join her husband in London. A businessman from Bikaner is visiting his family abroad for the first time in ten years. A couple of doctors, along with their three young children, are on their way from Banswara to a long-anticipated new life.
A 21-year-old flight attendant hails from the conflict-ridden region of Manipur.
A former chief minister is en route to see his daughter. A medical student is having lunch in his hostel. These individuals were among the more than 250 lives tragically lost when an Air India flight bound for London crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad on Thursday, leaving a British national of Indian descent as the only survivor.
The footage depicting the aircraft crashing into the BJ Medical College and Civil Hospital hostel and erupting into a massive fireball will be etched in the collective memory of the nation. This incident marks the first crash of a wide-body aircraft operated by an Indian airline since the Kanishka bombing in 1985, leaving behind a legacy of profound sorrow and loss.
In the aftermath, an impartial investigation involving Indian authorities, Boeing, and international regulators must be prioritized the following day.
Until now, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has transported over one billion passengers since its launch in 2011, was regarded as having a commendable safety record, despite recurring technical problems such as engine shutdowns, flight control malfunctions, smoke in the cabins, and hydraulic leaks. Quality control concerns in 2019 compelled the company to halt the delivery of new aircraft from January 2021 to August 2022.
In 2024, a Boeing engineer submitted a whistleblower complaint to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), claiming that the company had taken shortcuts in the production of its 777 and 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
It may take several months or even years to determine the precise causes of the crash in Ahmedabad. However, as India grieves, Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation must respond with urgency and transparency. While compensation is essential, it cannot replace accountability. The families of the victims deserve closure; they should not be left uninformed, as is often the case following disasters.
The Ahmedabad disaster should act as a crucial alert and highlight the underlying issues plaguing India’s aviation industry. It is essential to conduct a thorough examination of the engineering divisions within all Indian airlines. Given that Air India is one of the two primary competitors in the market, there is insufficient motivation to consistently improve safety standards and enhance quality.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) lacks the necessary resources to effectively oversee a burgeoning sector — it was only a few years ago that this aviation regulatory body was granted the authority to levy fines on airlines. The aviation consultancy firm Capa India has cautioned that the pilot shortage is becoming increasingly severe. These deficiencies must be addressed.
The inquiry into Thursday’s crash will be spearheaded by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which operates under the Ministry of Civil Aviation, with support from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA. Every possible effort must be made to determine the causes and rectify them. This is the only significant homage to those who boarded Air India Flight 171 but failed to arrive at their intended destination.
