logo
Crashed plane was 'well-maintained', says Air India CEO

Crashed plane was 'well-maintained', says Air India CEO

Time of India7 hours ago

Representative Image
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANB) that tragically crashed in Ahmedabad last Thursday was reportedly well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for Dec 2025.
The right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight, according to
Air India
MD & CEO Campbell Wilson in a message to frequent flyers. Wilson expressed deep sorrow over the crash, which resulted in the loss of 241 passengers and crew, along with 34 people on the ground. He emphasised the airline's commitment to supporting affected families and working with authorities to determine the cause of the tragedy."Air India is conducting thorough safety inspections on its 33 Boeing 787 aircraft, with 26 cleared for service.
DGCA has confirmed the fleet meets safety standards," he said. TNN
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Air India Plane Crash: Parliament panel had flagged 'discrepancy' in aviation funding, months before Ahmedabad tragedy
Air India Plane Crash: Parliament panel had flagged 'discrepancy' in aviation funding, months before Ahmedabad tragedy

Mint

time32 minutes ago

  • Mint

Air India Plane Crash: Parliament panel had flagged 'discrepancy' in aviation funding, months before Ahmedabad tragedy

Air India Plane Crash: A parliamentary standing committee report flagged a 'distinct imbalance' and 'discrepancy' in the allocation of funds across key aviation bodies in March, about three months before the tragic Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. The panel observed that the discrepancy raised important questions about prioritising regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities. The panel recommended the adoption of performance-based budgeting for aviation regulatory bodies, linking allocations to specific performance indicators and outcomes. 'The Committee observes that the Capital Outlay for BE 2025 distinct imbalance in the allocation of funds across key aviation bodies. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), entrusted with regulatory oversight, commands the largest share of ₹ 30 Crore, nearly half of the total budget,' reads the report by the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture. Air India Plane Crash: The 32-member standing committee, headed by Janata Dal United MP Sanjay Jha, presented its report in the Rajya Sabha on March 25, 2025. The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on 12 June. All but one on board the plane died along with nearly 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex. 'While its role in ensuring compliance with aviation standards is indisputable, the justification for such a significant allocation must be carefully examined to ensure efficiency and accountability,' the report reads. Air Indai Plane Crash: According to the report, while the DGCA was allocated ₹ 30 crore for the financial year 2025-26, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) got ₹ 20 crore, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) received only ₹ 15 crore According to the report, while the DGCA was allocated ₹ 30 crore for the financial year 2025-26, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) got ₹ 20 crore, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) received only ₹ 15 crore. The AAIB is probing the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash. 'In contrast, the BCAS and AAIB receive ₹ 15 Crore and ₹ 20 Crore, respectively. While regulatory compliance remains essential, the rapid expansion of aviation infrastructure – with airports increasing from 74 in 2014 to 147 in 2022 and a target of 220 by 2024-25 – necessitates proportional growth of security capabilities and accident investigation resources. In view of the growing complexity of aviation security threats and the critical nature of accident investigations, the Committee finds these allocations relatively modest," the report reads. The 32-member standing committee, headed by Janata Dal United MP Sanjay Jha, presented its report in the Rajya Sabha on March 25, 2025. Apart from Jha (Chairman), the other members of the panel included M Mohamed Abdulla, M Nadimul Haque, Jaggesh, Sudha Murty, Imran Pratapgarhi from the Rajya Sabha and Mina Altaf Ahmad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Manoj Tiwari, KC Venugopal from the Lok Sabha to name a few. The report said the 'funding discrepancy' raises important questions about prioritising regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities. The panel recommended that aviation regulatory bodies adopt performance-based budgeting, linking allocations to specific performance indicators and outcomes. 'This approach would enhance accountability and ensure that funds are utilised efficiently to address the most pressing challenges within each domain. Regular performance audits should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of allocated resources and inform future budgeting decisions," it said. Air India Plane Crash: The report said the 'funding discrepancy' raises important questions about prioritising regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities. The discrepancy raises important questions about prioritising regulatory compliance over security infrastructure and accident investigation capabilities. The panel, as reported by LiveMint earlier, also raised serious concerns over the limited manpower in the DGCA, BCAS, and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). More than 53 per cent of positions are vacant in the DGCA, 35 per cent in the BCAS, and 17 per cent in the AAI, which manages airport infrastructure, according to the 375th report on Demands for Grants (2025–26) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Disaster after disaster: Who is accountable?
Disaster after disaster: Who is accountable?

India Today

time44 minutes ago

  • India Today

Disaster after disaster: Who is accountable?

It was meant to be a week when the Narendra Modi-led NDA government would celebrate its 11th year in power with the signature 'band, baaja, baraat' media hype that has been its forte. And yet, for once, even the astute headline management skills of the government's cheerleaders couldn't detract from the awfulness of the breaking news in the second week of June: at least 270 people died in the worst civil aviation disaster in this country since two planes collided mid-air in 1996. That the Air India flight 171 crashed just outside Ahmedabad in Gujarat, the home state of the government's Big Two, perhaps makes the tragedy even more poignant. Far from celebrating a political party milestone, the nation was united in it is premature to speculate over the causes of the crash – various aviation 'experts' in TV studios have proffered different theories – the crash has triggered a renewed debate over air safety. While official data suggests India's safety track record is at par with global standards, there are enough reasons for concern. A Tata Group-run Air India management still coming to terms with the fact that running a legacy airline is not quite the same as managing a steel or any other consumer business; Boeing, the world's largest aerospace company that finds itself under scrutiny once again; the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA) whose supervisory and regulatory powers over a rapidly expanding sector will come under the scanner; the Adani group which manages and operates the Ahmedabad airport will also have to provide to give context. A parliamentary standing committee report on MOCA in March this year pointed out that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was operating with 53% of its sanctioned posts vacant, while the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has a vacancy rate of 35%. The government's ambitious UDAN scheme aims to connect 120 new destinations, but its budget has been slashed by 32%. While the number of airports has nearly doubled in the last decade, the amount being spent on maintaining safety standards lags behind. Which raises a big question: will a horrific air crash change anything on the ground? The black box and flight data recorder may provide more clues as to what happened for a Dreamliner plane to explode into a fireball just seconds after take-off but will the inquiry be fair and transparent in revealing the truth given the mighty stakeholders involved? Which brings one to ask a critical question: is there any ACCOUNTABILITY in our system to ensure responsibility is fixed on key figures in a time-bound manner? Just look at the series of events in a disastrous month of June that still has some days to June 4, just a day after the IPL final, a stampede in Bengaluru during the victory celebrations of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru left 11 people dead, many more injured. The rushed event was organised despite the fact that the police had not given the required permission. With back-to-back events being organised at the Vidhan Soudha and Chinnaswamy Stadium, the police was overwhelmed by the surging crowds. A public spectacle for a privately-run franchise's triumph was given priority over the urgent need for public safety. Instead of accepting responsibility, the faction-ridden Congress government in Karnataka has busily disowned its culpability. Bengaluru's top cop has been suspended while no politician who happily posed with the star players has been held to June 9, four people died and nine were injured in a rail accident in Mumbra near Mumbai. The commuters fell onto the tracks while they were standing on the footboards of overcrowded trains. People hanging by the door in peak hour crowding is not new with a sharp curve along the Mumbra track making it even more hazardous. While a Central Railway committee is probing the incident, the underlying causes of a shambolic public transport system in a megapolis like Mumbai remain unaddressed. Is the creaking suburban train system suffering from neglect as alleged by commuter organisations while the private car traffic whizzes by on a shining coastal road?advertisementOn June 16, a bridge collapsed near Pune due to overcrowding amidst heavy rainfall, leaving four people dead and several more injured. The 30-year-old bridge was deemed 'unsafe' but, despite red flags being raised by locals for several years, a work order for the construction of a new bridge was delayed and reportedly issued only five days before the collapse. Approval of Rs 8 crore for a new bridge was given last year, but bureaucratic red-tapism meant that it was all too late to avoid a tragedy. Yet again, Maharashtra's BJP-led ruling alliance politicians have fulminated and promised action, only presumably until the next bridge collapse serves as another wake-up June 15, seven people died when a chopper flying from Kedarnath temple to Guptkashi in Uttarakhand crashed in the forest. Worryingly, this was the fifth such incident in just six weeks in the area, raising questions over the feasibility of helicopter services in inclement weather in the mountains. Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami has promised to put in place a Standard Operating Procedure while the DGCA has assured extra surveillance. Once again, a case of too little, too the chronology of each such tragedy follows a familiar pattern. Little attention is paid to adhering to strict safety norms in a characteristic 'chalta hai' attitude. Rather than focus on the rigors of daily governance, priority is given to the optics of political grandstanding. More fast trains are flagged, more airports are commissioned, more tourist sites are created, more glitzy sports celebrations are a Viksit Bharat by 2047, as envisaged by the Modi government, is a noble aim. Yet, the grim reality on the ground often doesn't match the dreams being spun in the air in a nation of 1.4 billion people. And then, when every now and then, a rickety bridge collapses, a stampede is caused by mass hysteria or there is a rail or air accident, those in positions of power are the first to shrug off their responsibility. After all, in almost all instances, it is the faceless, anonymous Indian who pays with their lives. Unless there is a fundamental change in approach that places a premium on accountability above all else, we will simply lurch from one disaster to the next. Because in India, if there is one sport that we deserve an Olympic medal in, it is 'passing the buck'.advertisementPost-script: Ironically, just a few days ago, a BBC investigative report exposed the truth of the Mahakumbh stampede deaths in January this year. Officially, the UP government claimed 37 people died, but the detailed BBC investigation found the number was at least 82. If we lie about death, what price is there for human lives?(Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and author. His latest book is 2024: The Election That Surprised India)(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Tune InMust Watch

Gorakhpur link expressway opens! Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Rs 7,283 crore project - top 5 things to know
Gorakhpur link expressway opens! Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Rs 7,283 crore project - top 5 things to know

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Gorakhpur link expressway opens! Yogi Adityanath inaugurates Rs 7,283 crore project - top 5 things to know

Gorakhpur link expressway Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday inaugurated the Gorakhpur link expressway, marking a major boost to road connectivity and development in the state. Spanning 91.35 kilometres, the total cost of the project is Rs 7,283.28 crore. The expressway connects Jaitpur near National Highway-27 in Gorakhpur to Salarpur in Azamgarh, linking directly to the Purvanchal expressway. It passes through four districts—Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, and Azamgarh. Built as a four-lane, fully access-controlled road, the expressway is designed for future expansion to six lanes. Gorakhpur link expressway: Top 5 things commuters should know The new road will significantly reduce travel time from Gorakhpur to southern areas like Urwa, Dhuriyapar, Khajni, and Belghat. The journey to Urwa, for example, will now take just 20–25 minutes instead of an hour. Construction was carried out in two phases: Jaitpur to Phulwaria (48.317 km) by APCO Infratech Pvt Ltd and Phulwaria to Salarpur (43.035 km) by Dilip Buildcon Ltd Advanced traffic management systems (ATMS) have been installed along the expressway, featuring CCTV surveillance, automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) and speed monitoring systems. For the construction of the expressway, 1,148.77 hectares of land were acquired from 172 villages across four districts. A total compensation of Rs 2,030.29 crore was paid to 22,029 farmers. The Gorakhpur Link Expressway becomes Uttar Pradesh's seventh operational expressway. Five of these have been completed in the last eight years. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store