In its first official release after the devastating Air India aircraft crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday explained that the Boeing 787-8 plane involved had undergone two previous flights — Paris to Delhi and Delhi to Ahmedabad — without reporting any issues.
Speaking at a media briefing, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha stated, “The Air India B787-8 plane that crashed on Thursday made Paris-Delhi and Delhi-Ahmedabad flights without incident before the crash.” The plane, which was traveling from Ahmedabad to London, crashed at around 1:40 PM on June 12 just after takeoff.
The aircraft dived into the roof of a hostel building that is part of a medical college, killing 241 of the 242 onboard, and numerous people on the ground. The gory accident has seen an immediate probe into potential technical glitches or systemic faults.
One Passenger Survived
Among the wreckage, there was a single miraculous survivor. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a citizen of the UK of Indian origin in seat 11A at the emergency exit in the economy class section, survived the crash. The remaining 241 passengers and crew members onboard died.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced the passenger nationalities onboard: 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portugese, and one Canadian.
Black Box Retrieved for Examination
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, who was also in attendance at the briefing, confirmed that the black box of the plane had been retrieved from the site of the crash — namely, the roof of the hostel where the plane impacted. He underlined the significance of this gadget in the investigation.
“Decoding of the black box will give deep insight into what had happened moments before the plane crash,” Naidu said. He further noted that the recovery of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder would be key to identifying the cause of the crash.
Boeing 787 Fleet Under Increased Surveillance
Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed a thorough check on all Boeing 787 planes flying in India.
“DGCA has also issued a directive to carry out the expanded surveillance on the 787 aircraft. We have 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I think that 8 of them have already been inspected and with urgent urgency, all of them are going to be done,” the aviation minister said.
This move indicates a fresh thrust to make all planes in the 787 series adhere to the highest standards of safety.
India’s Aviation Safety Record Comes Under the Microscope
The civil aviation minister reassured the public that India follows “very strict safety standards.” He, however, admitted that this unfortunate incident has led to the government re-examining procedures and ramping up supervision.
Government officials are also coordinating closely with Air India and Boeing officials to help in the ongoing inquiry. Foreign aviation experts can be roped in to provide technical assistance, particularly in the decoding of flight data.
Families are still awaiting closure as investigations continue.
As relatives of the victims wait for explanations, aviation officials persist in scrutinizing the crash site and data recovered. Additional statements from Air India and investigation teams are due within the next few days.