Why the Air India crash should alarm the world

Express Tribune

15-06-2025

Another plane crashed. Another 'Mayday' was called. Another tragedy unfolded — yet once again, international aviation authorities remain silent spectators.
Air India Flight AI171 departed from Ahmedabad for London on June 12, 2025. It never made it. Of the 242 people on board, 241 perished. Only one survived.
Flight details
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, and while the precise cause has not yet been confirmed, several key details have emerged that may help shape the inquiry.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was operating a long-haul flight to London Gatwick with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot issued a Mayday call, signaling a severe emergency. Moments later, the aircraft reached an altitude of approximately 825 feet before crashing near the airport perimeter. It slammed into a residential area, destroying a doctors' hostel.
There were no adverse weather conditions at the time — the crash occurred in the clear light of afternoon. Maintenance records for the aircraft have yet to be released. The pilots were experienced: Captain Sumit Sabharwal had logged 8,200 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kander had 1,100.
Air crash investigation
Investigators are now examining several potential causes. A technical failure is a primary suspect, especially in light of the Mayday call and rapid loss of altitude. Pilot error is also being considered. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the aircraft's heavy fuel load, which may have intensified the post-crash fire.
India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Boeing are expected to lead the investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from the US will provide technical assistance.
The investigation is likely to examine various factors, including pilot training, aircraft maintenance, and air traffic control procedures.
Questions overlooked
Yet critical questions remain unanswered. Aviation expert Moeedur Rehman has pointed out that many possible causes — such as a bird strike, engine failure, or pilot misjudgment — are already being dismissed. But the more troubling questions are the ones no one dares ask: Was the pilot properly licensed? Were the aircraft's safety systems fully functional? Could he have been among the 4,000 Indian pilots implicated in the fake license scandal?
History of disasters
This is not an isolated tragedy. India has a long and troubling history of aviation disasters. In 2025, Air India Flight AI171 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people. In 2020, Air India Express Flight IX-1344 went down in Kozhikode, resulting in 21 fatalities. The 2010 crash of Flight IX-812 in Mangalore claimed 158 lives. In 1998, Alliance Air Flight 7412 crashed in Patna, killing 60. The 1996 mid-air collision over Charkhi Dadri led to 349 deaths, making it one of the deadliest aviation disasters in history. In 1993, Indian Airlines Flight 491 crashed in Aurangabad, killing 55. In 1990, Flight 605 went down in Bangalore, resulting in 92 fatalities. In 1988, Indian Airlines Flight 113 crashed in Ahmedabad, killing 133 people. And in 1978, Air India Flight 855 crashed into the Arabian Sea, claiming 213 lives.
Nine major crashes, over a thousand lives lost — and yet the world remains quiet. Global institutions like International Air Transport Association (IATA), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) have issued no statements, taken no action.
Tragedy of double standards
When a PIA flight crashes in Pakistan, international bodies respond immediately: bans are enforced, blacklists updated, emergency ICAO meetings held. Pakistan's aviation sector becomes the subject of ridicule and scrutiny.
But when the same happens in India, a nation where 4,000 fake pilot licenses have surfaced, where pilots log 360 hours on a 35-minute flight, and where repeated accidents have killed over a thousand — there is silence. No bans. No blacklists. No accountability.
Is the worth of human life determined by the nationality of the passengers?
It is time to ask hard questions. If international organisations are offering India diplomatic leniency, they are not just undermining justice — they are compromising global air safety.
The AI171 investigation must go beyond the black box. It must probe the authenticity of pilot training, the integrity of aviation licensing, the transparency of regulatory bodies, and, crucially, the silence of global institutions.
Two hundred forty-one lives were extinguished. They cannot ask why. But we must.
This was not merely a plane crash. It was a collapse of systems — technical, institutional, and moral. A failure not just of engineering, but of conscience.
Obaidur Rehman Abbasi is an aviation consultant and former senior additional director for the Civil Aviation Authority
All facts and information are the sole responsibility of the author