Air India ordered to carry out ‘additional maintenance actions’ on Boeing 787-8/9 fleet – as it happened | Air India Ahmedabad plane crash

Air India ordered to carry out ‘additional maintenance actions’ on its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet by ministry of civil aviation

India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out safety inspections on its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet after a crash in Ahmedabad killed more than 240 people.

The ministry of civil aviation said Air India has been ordered to carry out “additional maintenance actions” on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines.

There was press speculation that India could ground 787 flights, but it has stopped short of doing that so far.

Key events

Closing summary

Today’s live coverage of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad is coming to an end. The crash killed more than 240 people and is the worst aviation disaster in terms of death toll in over a decade.

Here’s a round-up of updates from today:

India’s ministry of civil aviation said Air India has been ordered to carry out “additional maintenance actions” on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines following the crash. There was speculation that India could ground 787 flights, but it has stopped short of doing that so far.
The sole surviving passenger from the Air India crash – a British man – said the lights on the plane “started flickering” before the aircraft hit the ground and that he saw people dying in front of his eyes before he walked out of the rubble. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, told the Hindustan Times: “When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air. Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white – then the plane rammed into some establishment that was there.”
The crashed Air India plane’s flight data recorder, its black box – has been found, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed. Kinjarapu said the black box was discovered by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) after 28 hours of searching. “This marks an important step forward in the investigation,” he said.
The investigation into the Air India plane crash is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source told Reuters. While one of the two black boxes on the plane has been found, there was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which will also be crucial to the crash probe.
A team of Boeing experts has flown out to offer assistance to the Indian state-led investigation into the crash, with officials from the UK and the US also expected to arrive in Ahmedabad. Chief executive Kelly Ortberg said that the Boeing team “stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau” as work continues to ascertain the cause of the crash.
Pope Leo XIV paid condolences to the families and friends of the victims. A statement released by the Vatican on behalf of the Pope passed on his prayers for those affected by the tragedy. “His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, together with the assurance of prayers for all involved in the recovery efforts,” the Pope’s secretary of state said in a statement.
Air India’s owners Tata on Thursday said they would pay around £86,000 to the families of those killed in the crash: the strict liability compensation regardless of fault due under the Montreal Convention. However, lawyers who have represented families affected by previous air disasters, warned relatives of victims against immediately accepting compensation before the investigation.
Separately, an Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand to Delhi made an emergency landing due to a bomb threat. The flight had 156 passengers on board, and the plane landed safely and was being checked by security at Phuket International Airport.

Investigators from India, the UK and the US have arrived to probe the crash and Tata will be fully transparent about the findings, Tata Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in an internal memo seen by Reuters.

Chandrasekaran said Tata wants to understand what happened, adding, “We don’t know right now”.

Aircraft engine maker GE Aerospace said it supports the action being taken by India’s aviation regulator for enhanced safety inspections of Air India’s 787 fleet.

“Safety is our top priority,” a GE Aerospace spokesperson said. “We are committed to providing all technical support necessary to understand the cause of this accident.”

The investigation into the Air India plane crash is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, a source told Reuters, as the aviation regulator ordered safety checks on the airline’s entire Boeing-787 fleet.

India’s aviation ministry said that investigators and rescue workers had recovered the digital flight data recorder – one of the two black boxes on the plane – from the rooftop of the building on which the jet crashed.

There was no information on the cockpit voice recorder, the other black box, which is also crucial to the crash probe.

Aviation minister confirms discovery of crashed Air India black box

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu says the crashed Air India plane’s flight data recorder – black box – has been found.

Kinjarapu says the black box was discovered by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) after 28 hours of searching.

“This marks an important step forward in the investigation,” he says. “This will significantly aid the inquiry into the incident.”

Gwyn Topham

Lawyers who have represented families affected by previous air disasters, including the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max crash in which a number of British passengers died, warned relatives of victims against immediately accepting compensation before the investigation.

Demetrius Danas, a specialist aviation lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “It’s vital that the families of those affected are provided with the answers and specialist support they deserve.

“They shouldn’t feel pressured into accepting early settlements without understanding their full legal rights. We strongly advise seeking independent legal advice.”

Air India’s owners Tata on Thursday said they would pay around £86,000 to the families of those killed in the crash: the strict liability compensation regardless of fault due under the Montreal Convention. The international treaty that governs airline liability for death that has been ratified by most countries, including the UK and India.

However, higher compensation could be due if negligence is found, on the part of an airline or manufacturer.

Boeing experts head to Ahmedabad to assist Air India crash investigation

Gwyn Topham

A team of Boeing experts has flown out to offer assistance to the Indian state-led investigation into the crash, with officials from the UK and the US also expected to arrive in Ahmedabad.

Chief executive Kelly Ortberg said that the Boeing team “stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau” as work continues to ascertain the cause of the crash.

While issues such as pilot error, maintenance and bird strikes will all be likely eventual avenues of exploration, investigators will be questioning what various experts said appeared to be a thrust or engine failure. Footage appeared to show the 787’s landing gear apparently not retracted, and – according to some accounts – the wing flaps in an unusual position for take-off.

International aviation protocol brings in US officials as the state of manufacture, and UK investigators due to the number of Britons onboard, under the Indian AAIB.

Boeing will be joined by a team from supplier GE Aerospace, whose engines were powering the 787 in the fatal flight AI171.

Hopes that some information on the cause or causes could become available soon were raised by the reported finding of the black box recorder.

Graham Braithwaite, an aviation professor at Cranfield University, said: “The cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder will tell us a lot – assuming they are undamaged… and help the industry know how best to react in the short term.”

Critical at this stage of the investigation would be was “making sure they don’t lose evidence from the site during recovery efforts, or from the hangar, airport or training records,” he said, adding: “The team can involve specialists from the manufacturer or operator… but under very strict controls to ensure the independence of the investigation.”

Jamie and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek

The College of Psychic Studies, a non-profit organisation in London, have confirmed that two of their alumni, Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, died in the Air India crash.

In a statement, the college said their thoughts are with the pair’s families and friends, adding:

Fiongal started studying at The College of Psychic Studies in 2018, with Jamie joining in 2019. They trained to professional level with Senior Tutor Gary Wright, and attended many workshops here over the years, becoming treasured and beloved members of our community.

Fiongal and Jamie’s “psychic mediumship tutor and mentor”, Gary Wright, also paid his condolences:

It’s with great sadness I am writing this, but also with joy that these two beautiful souls were a part of my life and my classes for so many years. They both fulfilled their dreams in turning professional, inspiring and supporting many others to do the same. It’s now that they continue to inspire us to live every day to the full. With my gratitude to you both. Much love always, Gary.”

Aviation experts have spoken to Reuters about the chances of surviving plane crashes.

One passenger survived the Admedabad crash – he escaped through an exit door seconds after his Air India flight crashed killing everyone else on board. It has prompted speculation over whether his seat, 11A, is the safest.

“Each accident is different, and it is impossible to predict survivability based on seat location,” said Mitchell Fox, a director at Flight Safety Foundation, a US-based nonprofit.

“In this particular instance, because the passenger was sitting adjacent to the emergency exit, this was obviously the safest seat on the day,” said Ron Bartsch, Chairman at Sydney-based AvLaw Aviation Consulting. “But it’s not always 11A, it’s just 11A on this configuration of the Boeing 787.”

Despite disasters such as the Air India crash, plane designs have evolved to increase the likelihood of passengers walking away from a rare plane accident, Fox said. These include floor path lighting, fire detection and extinguishers, less flammable cabin materials and improved access to emergency exits.

“There have been remarkable advancements in airplane cabin design that have improved the survivability of accidents on or near the ground,” Fox said.

Air India ordered to carry out ‘additional maintenance actions’ on its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet by ministry of civil aviation

India’s aviation regulator has directed Air India to carry out safety inspections on its Boeing 787-8/9 fleet after a crash in Ahmedabad killed more than 240 people.

The ministry of civil aviation said Air India has been ordered to carry out “additional maintenance actions” on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GE Aerospace GEnx engines.

There was press speculation that India could ground 787 flights, but it has stopped short of doing that so far.

Eleni Courea

Downing Street said that as of this morning, the government hotline set up to support British citizens affected by the Ahmedabad crash had received almost 300 calls.

Foreign Office staff have contacted the sole survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, today to offer consular support.

Lindy Cameron, the British High Commissioner in India, met Indian prime minister Narendra Modi today to offer the UK’s condolences and support in the investigation.

Indian media outlets have reported that India may ground Boeing 787 flights following the Ahmedabad crash. Yesterday’s crash was the first involving a Boeing 787.

The BBC has received a response from Air India, saying: “This is not the case, at this point in time at least.”

Lunch break at a doctors’ hostel in India’s Ahmedabad turned fatal for many in the dining area when parts of an Air India aircraft crashed through its roof as the plane hurtled to the ground moments after takeoff, Reuters reports.

Thakur Ravi, who worked in the kitchen at the BJ Medical College hostel, is still searching for his mother – a cook there – and his two-year-old daughter, who he left under her care.

The last time he saw them was before he set off to deliver lunch boxes to senior doctors at the hospital, about half an hour before the crash.

“All the other ladies who cook food at the hostel managed to escape, but my mother and daughter got left inside … I have searched everywhere but have not found them,” he told reporters.

At least four undergraduate students and five relatives of students were killed in the crash, a resident doctor, who is part of the junior doctors’ association at the college, told Reuters.

Images of the dining area shortly after the incident showed wheels and other parts of the aircraft embedded in the walls, with a section of the aircraft wedged on top of the damaged building.

A strong stench of jet fuel hung in the air at the site earlier today, as authorities used cranes to remove charred trees and debris, while a portion of the wall of the top floor of the hostel lay on the ground.

Loud wails could be heard at the home of Akash, a resident of Ahmedabad who was burned to death as he rushed to save his mother who ran a tea stall near the hostel and was caught in the blaze of the crash but managed to escape.

“Her son ran in to save her but got blinded by the smoke and …was completely burnt. He died in front of our eyes,” Akash’s aunt, Jasi, told Reuters, adding that his mother sustained burns and was undergoing treatment.

Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at the Royal Derby Hospital, was on the Air India flight with his family, Derby Hindu Temple said, according to the Press Association.

In a post on Facebook, the temple said the family were “devotees of our Mandir and supported us through their sincere service and dedication.

“We pray to Lord Shiva to grant eternal peace to the departed souls and to give strength to the bereaved family to bear this immense loss.”

Pope sends prayers to families affected by air disaster

Pope Leo XIV Photograph: Andrew Medichini/AP

Pope Leo XIV paid condolences to the families and friends of the victims. A statement released by the Vatican on behalf of the Pope passed on his prayers for those affected by the tragedy.

“His Holiness Pope Leo XIV sends his heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives, together with the assurance of prayers for all involved in the recovery efforts,” the Pope’s secretary of state said in a statement.

“Commending the souls of the deceased to the mercy of the Almighty, His Holiness invokes upon all affected the divine blessings of healing and peace,” they added.

It is still not known what caused Air India flight AI171 to crash on Thursday. There is plenty of conjecture, with theories ranging from an extraordinarily rare twin-engine failure, a bird strike and malfunctioning wing flaps.

A team from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) will soon join safety experts to investigate. They will be analysing radar data, CCTV, the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder to determine a cause for the crash, which killed 241 passengers and potentially dozens on the ground.

Dr Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the BJ Medical College and Civil hospital, says they are working to identify bodies, so they can be released to families.

Parikh said: “We are relying only on DNA matching to identify them. And it is something where we simply cannot rush or afford mistakes. We are working with sincerity. We want relatives to understand and be a bit patient. We want to hand over [the bodies] as soon as possible,.”

Asked how she was personally dealing with the situation, she said: “Maybe the shock will sink in later. Right now, for me and my team, there is no option but to rise to the challenge.”