Indian lawmakers to review aviation safety weeks after Air India crash
NEW DELHI - A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on July 9, with topics set to include Air India's recent plane crash.
The Upper House of India's Parliament has asked airport operators, air traffic controllers and airlines including Air India and IndiGo to take part in a comprehensive review of passenger safety, according to a memo drafted for the meeting and seen by Reuters.
The gathering comes after the June 12 Air India disaster that killed 260 people, including 241 on board, when a Boeing 787-8 jet crashed within a minute of take-off from India's Ahmedabad.
Investigators are still probing what caused the world's worst aviation accident in a decade.
Though the memo did not mention the crash, Mr R K Chaudhary, a lawmaker on the panel, told Reuters that it planned to discuss the matter internally and during the meeting.
'If we will not raise questions on it, they (airlines) will not become vigilant about these issues,' he said.
The Indian government has said data from the front recorder of the crashed plane was accessed by a team led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with the US National Transportation Safety Board.
Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days.
India's aviation watchdog in June warned the airline over 'repeated and serious violations' related to pilot duty scheduling.
It has also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on escape slides. REUTERS
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Times
3 hours ago
- Business Times
Intel's new CEO explores big shift in chip manufacturing business
[SAN FRANCISCO] Intel's new chief executive is exploring a big change to its contract manufacturing business to win major customers, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, in a potentially expensive shift from his predecessor's plans. If implemented, the new strategy for what Intel calls its 'foundry' business would entail no longer marketing certain chipmaking technology, which the company had long developed, to external customers, the sources said. Since taking the company's helm in March, CEO Tan Lip-Bu has moved fast to cut costs and find a new path to revive the ailing US chipmaker. By June, he started voicing that a manufacturing process that the prior CEO Pat Gelsinger bet heavily on, known as 18A, was losing its appeal to new customers, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity. To put aside external sales of 18A and its variant 18A-P, manufacturing processes that have cost Intel billions of US dollars to develop, the company would have to take a write-off, one of the sources familiar with the matter said. Industry analysts contacted by Reuters said such a charge could amount to a loss of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of US dollars. Intel declined to comment on such 'hypothetical scenarios or market speculation'. It said the lead customer for 18A has long been Intel itself, and it aims to ramp production of its 'Panther Lake' laptop chips later in 2025, which it called the most advanced processors ever designed and manufactured in the United States. Persuading outside clients to use Intel's factories remains key to its future. As its 18A fabrication process faced delays, rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) N2 technology has been on track for production. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Tan's preliminary answer to this challenge: focus more resources on 14A, a next-generation chipmaking process where Intel expects to have advantages over Taiwan's TSMC, the two sources said. The move is part of a play for big customers such as Apple and Nvidia, which currently pay TSMC to manufacture their chips. Tan has tasked the company with teeing up options for discussion with Intel's board when it meets as early as this month, including whether to stop marketing 18A to new clients, one of the two sources said. The board might not reach a decision on 18A until a subsequent autumn meeting in light of the matter's complexity and the enormous money at stake, the source said. Intel declined to comment on what it called rumour. In a statement, it said: 'Lip-Bu and the executive team are committed to strengthening our roadmap, building trust with our customers, and improving our financial position for the future. We have identified clear areas of focus and will take actions needed to turn the business around.' Last year was Intel's first unprofitable year since 1986. It posted a net loss attributable to the company of US$18.8 billion for 2024. The Intel chief executive's deliberations show the enormous risks – and costs – under consideration to move the storied US chipmaker back onto solid footing. Like Gelsinger, Tan inherited a company that had lost its manufacturing edge and fell behind on crucial technology waves of the past two decades: mobile computing and artificial intelligence. The company is targeting high-volume production later this year for 18A with its internal chips, which are widely expected to arrive ahead of external customer orders. Meanwhile, delivering 14A in time to win major contracts is by no means certain, and Intel could choose to stick with its existing plans for 18A, one of the sources said. Intel is tailoring 14A to key clients' needs to make it successful, the company said. Amazon and Microsoft on 18A Tan's review of whether to focus clients on 14A involves the contract chipmaking portion of Intel, or foundry, which makes chips for external customers. Regardless of a board decision, Intel will make chips via 18A in cases where its plans are already in motion, the sources familiar with the matter said. This includes using 18A for Intel's in-house chips that it has already designed for that manufacturing process, the sources said. Intel will also produce a relatively small volume of chips that it has guaranteed for and Microsoft via 18A, with deadlines that make it unrealistic to wait for the development of 14A. Amazon and Microsoft did not immediately comment on the matter. Intel said it will deliver on its customer commitments. Tan's overall strategy for Intel remains nascent. So far, he has updated his leadership team, bringing in new engineering talent, and he has worked to shrink what he considered bloated and slow-moving middle management. Shifting away from selling 18A to foundry customers would represent one of his biggest moves yet. The 18A manufacturing process includes a novel method of delivering energy to chips and a new type of transistor. Together, these enhancements were meant to let Intel match or exceed TSMC's capabilities, Intel executives have previously said. However, according to some industry analysts, the 18A process is roughly equivalent to TSMC's so-called N3 manufacturing technology, which went into high-volume production in late 2022. If Intel follows Tan's lead, the company would focus its foundry employees, design partners and new customers on 14A, where it hopes for a better chance to compete against TSMC. Tan has drawn on extensive contacts and customer relationships built over decades in the chip industry to arrive at his view on 18A, the two sources said. REUTERS
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Quad ministers condemn April attack in Indian Kashmir without naming Pakistan
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar speaks as Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stand together at the start of their meeting of the Indo-Pacific Quad at the State Department in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 1, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque WASHINGTON - The Quad grouping of the United States, India, Japan and Australia called on Tuesday for the perpetrators of an Islamist militant attack that killed 26 in India-administered Kashmir to be brought to justice without delay. The April 22 attack sparked heavy fighting between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan in the latest escalation of a decades-old rivalry as India blamed it on Pakistan, which denied responsibility while calling for a neutral investigation. The U.S. State Department issued a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the grouping, who met in Washington, but stopped short of naming Pakistan or blaming Islamabad. "The Quad unequivocally condemns all acts of terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," the ministers said in the statement. They called on all members of the United Nations to cooperate actively with "all relevant authorities" in delivering justice to the "perpetrators, organizers, and financiers of this reprehensible act", without any delay. India is an increasingly important U.S. partner in Washington's effort to counter China's rising influence in Asia while Pakistan is a U.S. ally. On May 7, Indian jets bombed sites across the border that New Delhi described as "terrorist infrastructure", setting off an exchange of attacks between the two countries by fighter jets, missiles, drones and artillery that killed dozens until a ceasefire on May 10. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World US Senate approves divisive Trump spending Bill World Trump escalates feud with Musk, threatens Tesla and SpaceX support Business Cathay Cineplexes gets demand for $3.4 million in arrears from Jem landlord Singapore 3,800 private candidates in Singapore to take O- and A-level exams in 2025 Multimedia Right on track: Meet the new JB-Singapore RTS Link train Business Binance to keep hundreds of staff in Singapore despite crackdown, sources say Singapore 'He fought till the end': Man who survived acid attack as a baby dies of cancer at 26 World Trump urges Hamas to accept 'final proposal' for 60-day Gaza ceasefire The ceasefire was first announced by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media after Washington held talks with both sides, but India has differed with Trump's claims that it resulted from his intervention and threats to sever trade talks. India's position has been that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve their problems directly and with no outside involvement. On Monday, India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, restated its position that trade was not a factor in the ceasefire. "Relationships will never be free of issues," he said, referring to the United States, adding, "What matters is the ability to deal with it and to keep that trend going in the positive direction." REUTERS
AsiaOne
4 hours ago
- AsiaOne
Dalai Lama to meet senior Buddhist monks before likely reincarnation statement, Asia News
DHARAMSHALA, India — The Dalai Lama will meet 11 senior Buddhist monks on Wednesday (July 2) morning before delivering a written statement that will "most probably" talk about his eventual succession as the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists, an official said. Tibetan Buddhists believe that enlightened monks are reborn to continue their spiritual legacy. The 14th Dalai Lama will turn 90 on Sunday and has long been expected to use the occasion to share possible clues on where his successor, a boy or a girl, could be found following his death. Beijing views the Dalai Lama, who fled Tibet in 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule, as a separatist and says it will choose his successor. The Dalai Lama has said his successor will be born outside China and has urged his followers to reject anyone chosen by Beijing. The northern Indian town of Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama is based with thousands of other Tibetans, has already seen the arrival of the heads of various sects of Buddhism ahead of a Wednesday-Friday religious conference that precedes the birthday celebrations on the weekend. "All the religious heads are here and they are going to talk to His Holiness, which may relate to reincarnation issues," said Tenzin Lekshay, spokesperson for the exiled government in Dharamshala, as mists and rains cloaked the Himalayan hills. On the first day of the conference, more than 100 religious figures including the senior monks will issue a declaration of gratitude to the Dalai Lama and discuss the way ahead, he said. The Dalai Lama will address them in Tibetan in a pre-recorded message but is unlikely to refer to reincarnation in that message, Lekshay said. The issue will "most probably" be covered in a written statement to be issued by the Dalai Lama late morning, he said. Another official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the written statement would refer to his reincarnation. [[nid:719649]]
