Lessons from India’s worst air disaster involving Air India must redefine aviation in the world’s fastest-growing market, writes Manish Pant.
Perhaps no other airline in the history of civil aviation has captured the imagination of its country of origin as much as Air India. In a country where only 4 per cent travel by air, the brand has always evoked a strong sense of aspiration and ownership since its founding in 1932. In the post-independence era, as the country struggled to grow enough food for its growing population, the legendary JRD Tata create done of the finest homegrown brands the world had seen. Even the smallest issue at the airline tends to escalate into a national concern. This makes the Thursday crash of UK-bound AI171 (Ahmedabad-Gatwick) a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities within India’s aviation ecosystem.
The incident, which claimed 241 lives, stands as the worst aviation disaster involving a domestic airline on Indian soil. It also marks the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner globally.
The incident happened within days of Air India’s full-service arm reporting an 11 per cent rise in revenues and ferrying 44 million passengers in FY2025.
The development added to the management’s hopes of achieving full profitability in both its full-service and low-cost operations by FY2027. In 2023,the airline placed an order for a record 470 aircraft. Since then, the total number of aircraft ordered by Air India stands at 570. It is currently overhauling operations as part of the five-year Vihaan.AI initiative under the stewardship of one of the most experienced and capable CEOs in the Asia-Pacific region, Campbell Wilson. Therefore, the event is a sudden and deeply unsettling setback to Air India’s growth trajectory.
Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, Union Minister of Civil Aviation, who reached Ahmedabad the same day to oversee relief operations, noted on the microblogging site X that, in line with international norms, a formal investigation had been initiated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).“Additionally, the government is constituting a high-level committee comprising experts from multiple disciplines to examine the matter in detail. The committee will work to strengthen aviation safety and prevent such accidents in future.”
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft bearing registration number VT-ANB was ordered as part of a $10.8billion, 68-jet deal in 2005 and was subsequently delivered by the Virginia, US-headquartered plane maker in 2014. At that time, Air India was still under government control, and many suspected that the decision was taken under direct pressure exerted by the White House.
Legacy Issues
Despite its reputation as a fuel-efficient, long-range aircraft, Boeing’s Dreamliner has been plagued by persistent issues since its 2011 debut. Manufacturing defects—including fuselage assembly flaws ,improper shimming, and foreign objects left inside aircraft—have raised concerns over quality control. Engine reliability has also been questioned, with recurring problems in the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 and GE GEnx engines. Additionally, the aircraft has faced operational challenges such as lithium-ion battery fires, hydraulic leaks, cabin pressure loss, cracked windshields, gear malfunctions, turbulence-related damage, and smoke incidents.
Within just 14 months of introducing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Air India recorded over 130 technical glitches, leading to substantial operational costs.
Explicitly addressing the Boeing 787 Dreamliner project in his 2024 testimony to the US Congress, veteran quality engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour alleged: “Despite what Boeing officials state publicly, there is no safety culture at Boeing.” He described how employees who raised concerns were “ignored, marginalised, threatened, sidelined, and worse.
”While definitive conclusions await the crash investigation, preliminary visuals and eyewitness accounts have led aviation experts to suspect engine failure. If verified, this would be an exceptionally rare occurrence, as dual-engine failures have a once-in-a-billion flying hours probability. Some experts suggest that the aircraft’s edge-of-the-runway takeoff may have degraded its performance due to extreme summer heat. In April 1993, a similar incident involving the edge-of-the-runway departure of now-defunct Indian Airlines Aurangabad-Mumbai flight IC491 resulted in the death of 55 people. Others, citing the current geopolitical climate, have not dismissed the possibility of sabotage. However, these remain speculative, and we must await the AAIB’s findings after a thorough inquiry.
Need for a Proactive Regulator
In 2022, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) conducted a safety audit under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) programme. The audit reportedly flagged deficiencies in regulatory oversight, prompting India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), to initiate corrective measures. Separately, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) conducted a Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme in 2022. Although India improved its Effective Implementation score to over 85 per cent, the audit highlighted gaps in areas like airworthiness certification and surveillance. India’s aviation oversight, while not entirely inadequate, tends to become active only in response to international scrutiny or domestic crises.
In the recent past, the DGCA has flagged mechanical issues at various airline operators. Industry insiders interviewed by this writer allege that the DGCA tends to be reactive rather than proactive. Meanwhile, equally serious maintenance lapses at other carriers go unreported, escaping public scrutiny.
Beyond affecting public perception of the aircraft type and airline, aviation disasters carry long-term consequences. The Kanishka crash in the Atlantic Ocean awakened India to the threat of cross-border urban terrorism. The attacks of September 11, where aircraft were used as missiles, made aviation security globally much more stringent. Similarly, the AI171 crash must prompt a reassessment of maintenance priorities in India’s aviation sector.
Inflection Point
While inaugurating the International Air Transport Association (IATA)’s annual general meeting and World Air Transport Summit in New Delhi earlier this month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) sector could grow into a $4 billion industry by 2030. However, the presence of a robust aircraft engineering ecosystem goes beyond market economics—it makes flying much safer. India is already the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, with passenger numbers rising steadily. In 2025, approximately 410 million passengers travelled by air in the country, marking an increase of around 25 million over the previous year. This growth reflects a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9 per cent projected through FY2027. Therefore, the government must accelerate the development of both existing and proposed MRO projects.
Another crucial step is establishing commercial aircraft assembly in India. The country’s position as one of the largest buyers of civilian aircraft today can be used as a powerful lever to convince Airbus and Boeing to set up manufacturing bases here. Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer has already expressed interest in establishing an assembly line in India. A country that has built one of the world’s most successful space programmes should also strive to become a leading global manufacturer of civilian aircraft. Hundreds of vendors across India are already producing critical components for leading global aircraft manufacturers. Indigenous aircraft manufacturing would, therefore, enhance the country’s oversight of quality standards.
India must also consider forming a consortium comprising its largest business conglomerates with a vested interest in aviation. Since there are no shortcuts in aircraft development and manufacturing, the programme could be structured within a 10- to 15-year timeline. In a commendable move, the Tata Group will compensate the families of the deceased with ₹10 million and cover the medical expenses of the injured. It has also committed to reconstructing the hostel at BJ Medical College, which was destroyed in the crash. Furthermore, given the salt-to-software group’s rich legacy in shaping modern India, this incident should prompt the management to restore both faith and good will in the venerable brand. This must start with unwavering support for seasoned aviation professionals, rather than resorting to easy scapegoating. It is the military—not bureaucracy—that strategises to win wars.