Air India crash sparks aviation safety debate – DW – 06/13/2025
An Air India flight with 230 passengers and 12 crew on board crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing all but one of the people aboard.
The aircraft, a wide-bodied Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner powered by twin jet engines, was bound for London's Gatwick Airport. It's the first fatal incident involving the Dreamliner aircraft.
Videos posted on social media showed the jet losing altitude before it hit a medical staff hostel and exploded into a ball of fire.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Authorities have launched a formal investigation to ascertain the reason behind the crash, but Air India has said the investigation will take time.
What caused the Air India crash?
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Jitender Bhargava, a former executive director of Air India, said authorities will carry out a thorough investigation.
"The industry's response, including investigations and ongoing safety reviews, reflects a system designed to learn from accidents and prevent future occurrences," he told DW.
Planemaker Boeing has said a team of experts is ready to go to India to help in the probe.
Thorough probe to find the cause of crash
Captain Sandeep Bansal, a former fighter pilot, said that an analysis of the aircraft's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be crucial to determine the cause of the crash.
"This accident is a sobering reminder for every one of us associated with the aviation industry to stay vigilant. These modern aircraft are incredible machines, but they are still machines. We humans are trained professionals, but are still humans," he told DW.
"The reason for this crash could be human error, sabotage, technical malfunction or environmental hazard like bird strikes, which was the reason in case of Airbus A320 force landing in Hudson River in 2009," said Bansal.
Air India flight crashes with more than 240 people on board
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Indian authorities said on Friday that the plane's flight data recorder, or black box, had been recovered from a rooftop near the crash site. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said that it had begun its work with "full force," the Associated Press news agency reported.
The investigation is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, Reuters news agency reported.
Sanjay Lazar, CEO of Avialaz consultants and aviation expert, said the plane appears to have suffered a loss of power in engines.
"It appears to have been something extraordinary that happened as you can see from the visuals — that the aircraft could not climb, and had no thrust, so either it was a catastrophic failure of both engines or some major ingestion into the engines," he told DW.
"Safety and engineering standards at Air India have always been top notch and I can't see much at fault there. Though I do expect heightened surveillance of airlines across India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India's aviation regulator, hereafter," he added.
India's aviation regulator on Friday ordered safety checks on the entire Boeing-787 fleet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, visited the crash side, and met the lone survivor at the hospital.
Rapidly growing aviation market
The incident renewed a debate about air safety in one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets.
Air India has suffered a number of both fatal and non-fatal crashes over the years.
Other Indian airlines, like IndiGo and SpiceJet, have also faced issues.
Two years ago, several mid-air technical malfunctions forced pilots to make emergency landings, drawing public attention at the time to the issue of aviation safety.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the lone survivor of the crash on Friday at the hospital where he is being treated for burns and other injuries Image: Javed Dar/IANS/Handout/Xinhua/picture alliance
At present, India is the world's fourth-largest air market, including both domestic and international travel.
The International Air Transport Association projects that it will become the third biggest over the next decade.
The Indian government is also pumping billions into building new airports, as well as expanding and modernizing existing ones, earmarking around $11 billion for the purpose.
Just earlier this month, Modi, while addressing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) summit, said the government aims to increase the number of airports to over 350 by 2047, the centenary of India's independence.
"Our domestic traffic has surged 30%, international traffic has risen from 55 million to 72 million, and in April 2025 alone, domestic air traffic grew by 10% — outpacing the global growth rate of 8%," said Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu at the event.
Authorities recognize that restoring and maintaining confidence is essential for sustaining growth in the civil aviation sector.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
DW
6 days ago
- DW
‘বিএনপি বাধা হয়ে দাঁড়াচ্ছে' – DW – 01.07.2025
To play this audio please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
DW
6 days ago
- DW
How the manosphere is making misogyny mainstream – DW – 06/30/2025
Misogynistic influencers with millions of followers propagate toxic masculinity in what has become known as the manosphere. Misogyny is spreading on social media through the so-called "manosphere." These masculinity influencers, often young, well-educated men, present themselves as victims of feminism and call for their power to be "reclaimed." Young users often come across this content by chance and get hooked. They end up existing in a parallel world full of anger, frustration and toxic ideology. The manosphere is a melting pot for anti-feminist narratives, which, thanks to social media, can spread like wildfire. The content ranges from manipulative dating advice to political demands aimed at weakening the social position of women to outright misogyny. What they all have in common is a fundamental rejection of equality between the sexes. Many videos appear professionally produced. "They are men with microphones, usually in podcast situations, ranting about things like how women should not have a high 'body count' — in other words, that they shouldn't have slept with many men. This manosphere claims to be based on natural and traditional values, but it's actually about oppression," says Tara-Louise Wittwer, an author and video producer (@wastarasagt) who has been working on this topic for many years. "According to this traditional worldview, women are actively chosen by men. This is one of the alpha male's desired motives," says Wittwer. "But the reality here is different: For the most part, a woman can choose someone herself, choose no one at all, choose another woman, or stay alone and perhaps be quite happy at 30 with three cats. That makes these kinds of men angry. They see they are losing power over women." After a few hours scrolling through the world of masculinity influencers, one notices they share a similar perception of the world: Modern society is set against men, and men are therefore at a disadvantage. The desire for old social structures and gender stereotypes dominates these social media channels. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Christian influences, or "Christfluencers," as they are sometimes referred to, who invoke religion to restrict women's rights, propagate the same message. "It's an attempt to shift responsibility. Along the lines of, 'It's not our fault that we oppress women, because God or Jesus said so,' or 'Women are just worth less because of biology, are only allowed to be with a few men, are only allowed to do this and that,'" says Wittwer. More and more women are also jumping on board. "Make him a sandwich" is a hashtag used by women who share the views of the manosphere and the ideology of "natural order" in relation to gender. "These women often highlight that it's their choice to live this dependent life — and that is not to be condemned at all. If a woman says, 'I want to be a traditional housewife, I'm fulfilled by being at home, cooking and having children,' then of course that's fine. Feminists fought for a long time to have this choice," says Wittwer. The problem is that when women are primarily active in the home, they disappear from public life and are unable to help shape [political] decisions and processes. Many of these women who share the ideas of the manosphere also create accounts and promote their lifestyle as the only valid one. "Anyone who doesn't do this is labeled mentally ill and told they need therapy. As is so often the case, feminism is portrayed as an illness," says Wittwer. Wittwer is also active online and regularly produces German-language videos on the topic of equality and solidarity among women. She critically analyzes how patriarchal structures and influencers spread misogynistic content on social media — concise, pointed and with subtle humor. But not everyone likes it. Comments like "but you have everything in Germany," in reference to women's rights in the country, are not uncommon. "Statistics, however, show that every other day, women are killed by their partners or former partners," she points out. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The criticism directed at her doesn't just come from men, but also from the feminist camp. "For some, I'm not radical enough. For example, I don't sympathize with the 4B movement (This radical feminist movement originates in South Korea and opposes marriage to men; women should not have children, romantic relationships, or sex with men: Eds.), partly because I have a husband myself, whom I wouldn't want to be without. It's not about marriage or not marriage. It's about women having choices and being able to decide. Women and men are not identical, but they are of equal value. And many people don't seem to want to understand that. It's about equal rights and equal value." So, it is exactly the opposite of what the followers of the manosphere, whether men or women, want. The increasing popularity of this misogynistic movement poses great danger, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube serving as the perfect breeding grounds. Influencers sell toxic masculinity images as lifestyle tips and disguise hate as "truth." Young men are particularly vulnerable to this content. Social media is creating a new wave of misogynistic narratives that can be socially explosive.
DW
7 days ago
- DW
'Manosphere': When influencers normalize misogyny for clicks – DW – 06/30/2025
Misogynistic influencers with millions of followers propagate toxic masculinity that portrays women as inferior. What's behind the "manosphere" — and why is it so dangerous? Misogyny is spreading on social media through the so-called "manosphere." These masculinity influencers — often young and well-educated men — present themselves as victims of feminism and call for their power to be "reclaimed." Young users often come across this content by chance and get hooked. They end up existing in a parallel world full of anger, frustration and toxic ideology. The manosphere is a melting pot for anti-feminist narratives, which thanks to social media can spread like wildfire. The content ranges from manipulative dating advice to political demands aimed at weakening the social position of women to outright misogyny. What they all have in common is a fundamental rejection of equality between the sexes. Many videos appear professionally produced. "They are men with microphones, usually in podcast situations, ranting about things like how women should not have a high 'body count' — in other words, that they shouldn't have slept with many men. This manosphere claims to be based on natural and traditional values, but it's actually about oppression," says Tara-Louise Wittwer, an author and video producer (@wastarasagt) who has been working on this topic for many years. "According to this traditional worldview, women are actively chosen by men. This is one of the alpha male's desired motives," says Wittwer. "But the reality here is different: For the most part, a woman can choose someone herself, or choose no one at all, or choose another woman, or stay alone and perhaps be quite happy at 30 with three cats. That makes these kinds of men angry, they see they are losing power over women." After a few hours scrolling through the world of masculinity influencers, one notices they share a similar perception of the world: Modern society is set against men and men are therefore at a disadvantage. The desire for old social structures and gender stereotypes dominates these social media channels. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Christian influences, or "Christfluencers," as they are sometimes referred to, who invoke religion to restrict women's rights, propagate the same message. "It's an attempt to shift responsibility. Along the lines of, 'It's not our fault that we oppress women, because God or Jesus said so,' or 'Women are just worth less because of biology, are only allowed to be with a few men, are only allowed to do this and that,'" says Wittwer. More and more women are also jumping on board. "Make him a sandwich" is a hashtag used by women who share the views of the manosphere and the ideology of "natural order" in relation to gender. "These women often highlight that it's their choice to live this dependent life — and that is not to be condemned at all. If a woman says, 'I want to be a traditional housewife, I'm fulfilled by being at home, cooking and having children,' then of course that's fine. Feminists fought for a long time to have this choice," says Wittwer. The problem is that when women are primarily active in the home, they disappear from public life and are unable to help shape [political] decisions and processes. Many of these women who share the ideas of the manosphere also create accounts and promote their lifestyle as the only valid one. "Anyone who doesn't do this is labeled mentally ill and told they need therapy. As is so often the case, feminism is portrayed as an illness," says Wittwer. Wittwer is also active online and regularly produces German-language videos on the topic of equality and solidarity among women. She critically analyzes how patriarchal structures and influencers spread misogynistic content on social media — concise, pointed and with subtle humor. But not everyone likes it. Comments like, "But you have everything in Germany," in reference to women's rights in the country, are not uncommon. "Statistics, however, show that every other day, women are killed by their partners or former partners," she points out. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The criticism directed at her doesn't just come from men, but also from the feminist camp. "For some, I'm not radical enough. For example, I don't sympathize with the 4B movement (This radical feminist movement originates in South Korea and opposes marriage to men; women should not have children, romantic relationships, or sex with men: Eds.), partly because I have a husband myself, whom I wouldn't want to be without. It's not about marriage or not marriage. It's about women having choices and being able to decide. Women and men are not identical, but they are of equal value. And many people don't seem to want to understand that. It's about equal rights and equal value." So exactly the opposite of what the followers of the manosphere, whether men or women, want. The increasing popularity of this misogynistic movement poses great danger, with platforms like TikTok and YouTube serving as the perfect breeding grounds. Influencers sell toxic masculinity images as lifestyle tips and disguise hate as "truth." Young men are particularly vulnerable to this content. Social media is creating a new wave of misogynistic narratives that can be socially explosive.
