🇮🇳 Air India Crash Tragedy Spurs India’s Biggest-Ever Aviation Safety Overhaul
By Pulse News | July 1, 2025
New Delhi — India’s Parliament will hold an extraordinary session next week to undertake what is likely to be the country’s most comprehensive review of civil aviation safety in decades. The move comes just weeks after the catastrophic Air India Boeing 787‑8 crash on June 12, which claimed 260 lives — the deadliest aviation disaster India has witnessed since the Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision in 1996.
The crash has shaken public confidence in India’s fast-expanding aviation industry and is now forcing an industry-wide reckoning. Lawmakers, regulators, airlines, air traffic controllers, and aviation experts are preparing for an intense discussion on what went wrong, what gaps have persisted despite repeated warnings, and what must change urgently to prevent another avoidable tragedy.
✈️ The Day That Changed Everything
Flight AI‑717, en route from London Heathrow to Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, was on final approach when it nosedived during a botched go-around attempt. Preliminary findings from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suggest a combination of an unaddressed software alert in the plane’s flight control system and possible pilot fatigue as contributing factors.
Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft struggle to stabilize before disappearing behind the airport’s perimeter wall, crashing into an under-construction hangar, and bursting into flames. Despite the heroic response of airport fire services, all 260 passengers and crew were killed instantly.
Grim images of the charred wreckage have dominated Indian media ever since. For many families, the grief has been compounded by the revelation that the same aircraft had experienced a similar glitch during a test flight last year but had been cleared to fly after a quick software patch.
⚙️ An Industry Grows — But Is It Safe Enough?
India’s civil aviation sector is among the fastest-growing in the world. In 2024, Indian airports handled over 340 million passengers, a number expected to cross 500 million by 2028. Carriers like IndiGo, Air India, Akasa Air, and new regional players have rapidly expanded their fleets, drawn by the boom in middle-class air travel and government initiatives like UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) to improve regional connectivity.
But the flip side is a sector straining under the weight of its own growth:
Overburdened air traffic controllers who manage a growing number of daily takeoffs and landings with minimal rest.
A shortage of skilled pilots and engineers, leading to longer shifts and possible fatigue.
Inconsistent maintenance checks, sometimes outsourced to third-party agencies.
A patchwork of safety audits that, critics argue, remain too focused on paperwork and less on actual operational readiness.
An ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) audit in 2024 found that India still lags behind developed countries in implementing robust safety oversight despite having one of the largest domestic networks.
📑 What the Parliamentary Review Will Tackle
The Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture will convene on July 9 to grill top officials from:
The Civil Aviation Ministry
DGCA
Airlines including Air India, IndiGo, and SpiceJet
Airport Authority of India
Air Traffic Control bodies
They will demand answers about:
The adequacy of pilot training and rest regulations.
The quality and frequency of aircraft maintenance.
Compliance with international safety standards.
Whether airlines are pressured to cut corners to stay profitable in an intensely competitive market.
The state of India’s runways, navigation systems, and emergency response capabilities.
One of the biggest questions is whether India should adopt a more independent safety board, separate from the DGCA, to conduct accident investigations and enforce accountability without conflicts of interest.
⚡ The Human Cost
For the families who lost loved ones, this review is not just a bureaucratic ritual. 43-year-old Anjali Rao, who lost her husband and 8-year-old daughter on flight AI-717, says she wants to see real change.
“We trusted them with our lives. They ignored problems they knew about. How many families must be destroyed before they learn?” she says, holding a framed photo of her family at Heathrow before boarding.
Her story is echoed by dozens of relatives who have banded together to form a Victims’ Families Association, demanding compensation, accountability, and transparent updates from investigators.
🔍 What Could Change?
Aviation insiders expect the Parliamentary session could lead to:
✅ Stricter pilot duty-time regulations to prevent fatigue.
✅ Mandatory reporting of near-miss incidents and protection for whistleblowers.
✅ Upgrading older aircraft and expanding technical training for maintenance staff.
✅ A revamp of the DGCA’s audit process, making it data-driven and more proactive rather than reactive.
✅ Investments in modernizing runway safety equipment, especially at high-traffic airports like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.
Airlines, already reeling from rising fuel costs and competition, are bracing for possible new compliance costs — but experts say these are non-negotiable investments to restore public trust.
🌏 The Global Dimension
India’s aviation safety record is now under scrutiny not just at home but globally. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are reportedly reviewing whether any Indian carriers need additional audits before expanding overseas.
Meanwhile, Boeing — which manufactures the 787-8 — is sending its own team to cooperate with Indian authorities, fearing a repeat of the reputational damage from past global incidents involving the 737 MAX.
🕊️ Will It Be Different This Time?
Aviation experts say it shouldn’t take the worst possible tragedy to drive change, yet history shows that big safety improvements often follow major disasters.
“This must be our turning point. The world’s fastest-growing aviation market deserves the world’s best safety record. Nothing less,” said Captain Vijay Menon, a retired pilot and former DGCA advisor.
For millions of Indians who board planes every week — for work, family reunions, pilgrimages, and new dreams — the outcome of this Parliamentary review may well decide how safe that next journey really is.
🕊️ In memory of the 260 lives lost on AI-717. May they never be forgotten.
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