Latest news with #AI171Dreamliner
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Sorry and thank you: Air India CEO writes to flyers a week after crash
Stepping up its communication process since last week's AI171 Dreamliner crash, Air India on Thursday reached out to its frequent fliers about flight cancellations and operational disruptions in the aftermath of the tragedy. Signed by Air India chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson, the email communication comes a day after Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran admitted in a media interview that the airline's communication with passengers, after the crash, had not been strong. Chandrasekaran, who's also the Air India chairman, had told Times Now on Wednesday evening that the airline had now set up a 'strategic communications team' in addition to its regular one. As part of this change, Air India issued a detailed public statement, explaining the events of June 12—the day of the crash--and the reasons for the subsequent wave of cancellations. In his email to frequent flyers on Thursday evening, Wilson gave a glowing tribute to the flight crew of AI171, stating that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had over 10,000 hours flying widebody aircraft and First Officer Clive Kunder had over 3,400 hours of experience. Against the backdrop of multiple cancellations and lower demand, he assured flyers that the aircraft had undergone all required maintenance checks. Thanking flyers for their patience, the Air India CEO wrote: 'This is a challenging time for all of trust means everything to us,' He elaborated that as a result of the enhanced safety checks and other external disruptions, the airline would reduce its international widebody flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, 2025, through to at least mid-July. This move, he said, would 'allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues'. Passengers affected by the revised schedule would be contacted directly and offered a choice of rebooking at no additional cost or a full refund. 'We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience,' he wrote. Wilson spoke of 'deep sorrow' over the loss of 241 passengers and crew members, and 34 people on the ground, calling the AI171 crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad a 'devastating event'. He said Air India was working closely with authorities and was fully committed to supporting the affected families. 'Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event,' he wrote. "The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its 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," he noted. He confirmed that 26 of the airline's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft had undergone DGCA-mandated enhanced safety inspections and had been cleared for service. The remaining aircraft would be inspected before being returned to operations. 'As a confidence-building measure,' he added, 'we have elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft.' He acknowledged that the additional checks, along with other external and operational factors, had resulted in a 'higher-than-usual number of cancellations' in recent days. Chandrasekaran had pointed out on Wednesday that Air India had taken several internal steps in recent days to strengthen its communication and operational response. Wilson's email to frequent flyers would perhaps be counted as one of those steps.
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Air India Crash: AIIMS forensic expert explains how victims' bodies are identified after a blaze this severe
As authorities begin handing over the remains of those killed in Thursday's Air India crash in Ahmedabad, not all identifications will require DNA testing, Dr Sudhir Gupta, head of the forensic medicine department at AIIMS, New Delhi, told The Indian Express. Gupta, who has worked on several mass casualty events—including the 1996 mid-air collision near Charkhi Dadri that killed all 349 people on board both planes and the 1997 Uphaar cinema fire tragedy, both of which involved the identification of charred bodies—explained that when there is a verified list of passengers, it is often possible to identify victims using physical evidence alone. 'In cases such as these, usually a photographic chart, with details of the passengers and their seat numbers is prepared. All of this is well documented. While people may have changed seats and many would have been unseated, it is still possible to identify the person using bone records alone,' he told this newspaper. Dr Gupta said that even when bodies are charred, bones often remain intact. Simple X-rays of the wrist, hand, or pubic bone can help determine age, gender, and height. 'Around 30% of the bodies may be completely burnt in such incidents, but teeth are hardy and are likely to survive an air crash. A person may be identified on the basis of whether they had fillings, capping, or implants,' he added He explained that physical features allow for quicker identification than DNA testing. 'We do not want families who are already grieving to wait longer than necessary. DNA is used only in cases where there is doubt—or in scenarios like building fires where we don't know who was present,' said Dr Gupta. However, he added that for the sake of dignity, authorities may still opt for DNA matching in all cases, particularly when bodies are disfigured. 'In aviation crashes, especially mid-air collisions, full bodies are often not recoverable. Whatever is recovered is handed to the family for last rites, along with a death certificate,' he said. As mentioned by Gupta, DNA profiling is underway to ascertain the identities of only those dead bodies which were charred beyond recognition. For instance, at least eight victims—whose bodies were not severely damaged—were identified visually by relatives and already handed over. By Saturday, identities of 19 of the 241 passengers who died on the AI 171 Dreamliner on June 12, were confirmed by matching DNA samples. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on X that until 9 pm Saturday, 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. 'State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he said in the post. Roughly 270 bodies were brought to the hospital from the crash site. The London-bound Air India flight crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. One passenger survived. On Thursday night, Home Minister Amit Shah has told journalists that the intense heat from 1.25 lakh litres of burning jet fuel left 'no chance of saving lives' Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government's management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country's space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University's Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor's Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More
Indian Express
6 days ago
- Indian Express
19 identified through DNA tests: Minister
The identities of 19 of the 241 passengers who died on the AI 171 Dreamliner on June 12, were confirmed by matching DNA samples by Saturday afternoon, 48 hours after the crash. Of these, the body of Poornima Patel from Dakor in Kheda district was handed over to the family members and has been cremated. Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi said on X that until 9 pm Saturday, 19 DNA samples have been matched so far, confirming the identities of victims. 'State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) unit team and National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU) team are working through the night to match more DNA samples,' he said in the post. The samples which matched also include that of Kalpana Prajapati and Alysia Makwana, a British national from Vadodara. The other bodies identified are of passengers from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, the source said. 'Both bodies will be sent to Vadodara on Sunday morning for the last rites to be conducted by the families,' Hemang Joshi, Vadodara MP, told The Indian Express. To avoid chaos and distress to the next of kin, the Gujarat government has requested family members residing abroad to plan their arrival after sending their DNA report , a top source in the government told The Indian Express. 'We have requested the foreign nationals who have not yet arrived in Ahmedabad to send their DNA profile reports from wherever they are, as a reference sample, and we will then cross verify with the DNA profile of the sample extracted from the victim here and then they can come and collect the body, on a stipulated date. They will be given all the documents in a proper file for any future reference,' the source said. There are at least 21 samples expected to be taken from foreign nationals whose family members died in the AI 171 crash on June 12. Kheda District Collector Amit Prakash Yadav told The Indian Express, 'The mortal remains of Purnima Patel, one of the crash victims arrived in her hometown in Dakor in Kheda district on Saturday evening and the cremation was done with full rituals by the Swaminarayan community, which the family belongs to. The Gujarat government supported the community in arranging the final rites.' Patel was travelling to London to meet her son. Yadav said that relatives of one crash victim from Kheda, a Canadian national, Piyush Patel (29), are on their way to submit the DNA samples. Yadav said, 'Piyush Patel's Canada-based wife and 7-year-old daughter are arriving in India to submit the daughter's sample for identification of the body. An expert on DNA forensics and retired IPS officer Keshav Kumar said that in cases such as the Air India crash where bodies are severely charred, the DNA extracted from the molar tooth of the victim, is the best bet to match with the reference sample. Kumar, who is consultant to the Home and Political Affairs department of the Government of Assam, recalls Rajkot's TRP game zone fire on May 25 last year which left 27 dead. 'Some parents had come to us saying our child is missing and we had used the RapidHIT technology to match DNA within 90 minutes from reference samples and exhibits'.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
AI 171 tragedy: How seat 11A proved to be lucky for Air India crash survivor Viswashkumar Ramesh
Viswashkumar Ramesh miraculously survived the AI 171 Dreamliner crash near Ahmedabad, India's deadliest single-aircraft disaster. He recalls a violent jolt and the pilot's distress call before leaping from the disintegrating plane. NEW DELHI: Viswashkumar Ramesh doesn't remember much, just a loud noise, the pilot's voice shouting 'Mayday', and a rush of heat as the aircraft tore apart after crash. He jumped without thinking. When he opened his eyes, he was outside, covered in blood, shouting for help. His brother, seated across the aisle in 11J, didn't make it. Seat 11A turned out to be his lifeline on AI 171, the London-bound Dreamliner that crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing nearly everyone on board. Viswash, a 40-year-old UK-based businessman from Diu, is the only confirmed survivor. The British national now lies in bed 11 of ward B7 at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital — dazed, bruised, and asking the one question no one has answered: 'Where is my brother?' From behind a sealed ward, guarded by Gujarat ATS and the crime branch, Viswash's story is a haunting thread of survival from India's deadliest single-aircraft crash. He recalls only fragments: a violent jolt, the pilot's trembling voice, and a blind leap through smoke and wreckage. 'Nothing more,' he told his cousin. O by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Husägare betalar näst intill inget för solpaneler Greenmatch Få offert Undo utside, video clips captured him stumbling barefoot through twisted debris, shouting, 'Plane fatyo che! (The plane has exploded!).' Just hours earlier, the brothers from Diu had waved goodbye to family, bound for London, where they'd built a life over 15 years. India's deadliest single-aircraft crash claimed at least 245 lives, including Gujarat's former CM Vijay Rupani and dozens on the ground. The ill-fated Boeing 787-8 slammed into the residential quarters and mess hall of B J Medical College and Civil Hospital around 3km from the end of the runway, killing doctors, students, and passengers in seconds. Rescue teams retrieved over 290 body bags in what became India's first Dreamliner crash and the worst civil aviation tragedy since the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision. Follow more information on Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad here . Get real-time live updates on rescue operations and check full list of passengers onboard AI 171 .
