NEW DELHI – June 4, 2025
Following last week’s terrible tragedy claiming more than 270 lives, Air India has cancelled at least eight overseas flights run by Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Reasons provided for the cancellations were a mix of aircraft nonavailability, technical problems, airspace constraints, and more stringent safety inspections.
Main roads to cities including London, Paris, Vienna, and Dubai were impacted by the interruptions. While a Boeing 777 slated for the San Francisco- Mumbai route was grounded owing to a technical problem, other Dreamliner flights were either delayed or pulled from service.
The Indian aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has commanded extra inspections of Air India’s 33 Dreamliners. Although inspections of 24 aircraft turned up no major safety infractions, the DGCA noted repetitive maintenance delays and coordination flaws that might threaten operational dependability.
After the crash of Flight AI171 on June 12, which sent out a Mayday signal just after liftoff from Ahmedabad, the airline continues under tight monitoring. The aircraft crashed into a medical college complex merely 650 feet above ground level, starting a major fire. Out of 242 on board, only one passenger survived; there were twenty-nine more deaths on the ground.
Officials using DNA analysis have established the identities of 135 victims; 101 bodies have been returned to families — including five people not included on the original flight manifest.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is leading a worldwide inquiry sparked by the accident with assistance from US and UK agencies. Preliminary ideas suggest an incredibly rare dual engine failure, possibly connected to flapthrust misconfigurations or landing gear issues.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot of the tragic jet, is being praised as a hero for directing the plane away from a heavily inhabited region. Hundreds came to his Mumbai burial on Tuesday.
Reacting to the tragedy, Air India’s parent firm Tata Sons promised a revamping of safety procedures. “We need to use this event as an act of force to build a safer airline,” Tata chair Natarajan Chandrasekaran declared.
Boeing, meanwhile, is under new international scrutiny. On Tuesday in Delhi, its commercial head, Stephanie Pope, met with Tata leadership. The aircraft manufacturer said it is totally assisting the probe.
