Air India slammed for ‘repeated violations' and three officials sacked over ‘systemic failures' in wake of horror crash
Cracks within the airline have started to show after flight AI171 smashed into a doctors' hostel and exploded into a huge fireball last week.
7
7
All passengers and crew - except for one miracle survivor - died in the horror accident on June 12 which killed at least 270 people.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) urged Air India to remove three company executives from crew scheduling roles, it has been revealed.
The three officials include a divisional vice president, a chief manager of crew scheduling and one planning executive.
Their sacking relates to lapses linked to flights from Bengaluru to London on May 16 and May 17 that exceeded the stipulated pilot flight time limit of 10 hours.
The order on Friday cited "systemic failures in scheduling protocol and oversights" and criticised the lack of strict disciplinary measures against the officials.
Despite the latest action by the aviation authority against Air India being unrelated to this month's tragic crash, it has laid bare the significant issues with the airline.
On Thursday, it was also brought to light that authorities previously warned the airline for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue for checks on emergency equipment of escape slides.
The latest order by assistant director of operations at the DGCA, Himanshu Srivastava, said: "Of particular concern is the absence of strict disciplinary measures against key officials directly responsible."
Air India said it has implemented the DGCA order and in the interim, the company's chief operations officer will provide direct oversight to the Integrated Operations Control Centre.
The airline added: "Air India is committed to ensuring that there is total adherence to safety protocols and standard practices."
Shock moment passenger threatens to CRASH Air India plane mid-flight in furious row just days after Ahmedabad disaster
The DGCA stated in its order that Air India had voluntarily disclosed the violations.
Investigators are continuing their probe into what caused the airline's London-bound plane to plunge to the ground moments after takeoff in Ahmedabad.
Air India said on Thursday that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane was "well-maintained" and that the pilots were accomplished flyers.
The airline's chief N Chandrasekaran also hit back at 'speculation' on what caused the London-bound flight to crash a minute after take-off.
And it was revealed that the black box recovered from the flight could be sent to the US for analysis after being rescued from a blazing 1,000 degree inferno.
The Indian government has the final say on who probes the device, but reports say the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in Washington, D.C. is being considered for the analysis.
A team of Indian investigators is expected to accompany the device to ensure all protocols are followed during the advanced data extraction.
Investigators warned on Tuesday that the recovered black boxes may have melted due to the intense heat of the raging explosion.
7
7
7
7
Planes usually carry two black boxes, which are small but tough electronic flight data recorders.
One records flight data, such as altitude and speed, whilst the other monitors the cockpit sound.
The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR), were recovered 28 hours after the horror crash.
Despite the name, these devices are painted bright orange for visibility amid debris.
Investigators believe the CVR on this 2014-delivered aircraft likely stored only two hours of cockpit audio.
The jet predates a 2021 rule which enforced 25-hour recordings on all planes.
But the FDR is capable of logging thousands of flight parameters for over 25 hours, including altitude, airspeed, and control inputs.
The aircraft had climbed less than 600 feet before its ascent stalled, according to the Ministry of Civil Aviation.
A distress signal was sent but was met with complete radio silence.
Moments later, the plane crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex near the airport's northeastern boundary.
The damaged black box is now seen as a crucial piece of evidence in understanding what led to India's worst air disaster in nearly three decades.
Investigators hope the data from the box will shed light on the aircraft's final moments.
52 Brits died on board the flight, but London local Vishwash Kumar Ramesh managed to cheat death when he escaped the blazing inferno following the crash.
Theories have swirled over how the sole survivor managed to narrowly escape death when he was sat in seat 11A during the horror smash.
Leading theories on Air India Flight AI171
THESE are some of the leading theories explaining the tragic Air India disaster which killed at least 270 people.
Emergency power system: A small turbine generator was seen deploying as the Boeing 787 went down, experts said.
Footage showed a "protrusion on the belly of the aircraft" with a "little grey dot" beneath it.
Commentators say this was a system called Ram Air Turbine (RAT) poking out from the fuselage of the plane.
Bird Strikes: A bird strike could have taken out both of the jet's giant General Electric engines.
While a bird taking down something the size of a commercial airliner might sound fanciful, there are numerous examples.
Wing flap position: Aviation experts have suggested the position of the aircraft's wing flaps could have played a role in the disaster.
Video evidence suggests the flaps were either fully retracted or on a very minimal setting, which would have provided very little lift.
The flaps provide crucial extra lift at low speeds during take-offs and landings.
Pilot error: The state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 is highly automated, with human pilots making only key decisions - but human error cannot be ruled out.
Co-pilot Clive Kundar had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience and made the mayday call but Captain Sumeet Sabharwa at the helm had 11,500 hours - making him one of Air India's most experienced pilots.
Heat: Planes get less lift on a hot day due to lower air density, and therefore they need to go faster to get as much lift as on a cooler day.
This is particularly important when an airliner is heavy with fuel, passengers and baggage, as the Air India flight was.
Technical error: Catastrophic technical or engineering issues have not been ruled out.
The jet's complex design mean it could take months for a design or engineering fault to be pinpointed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Mum's heartbreaking call for answers 2 years after girls, 8, were killed when Land Rover ploughed into Wimbledon school
THE PARENTS of two eight-year-old girls who were killed when a Land Rover crashed into their school have vowed to "uncover the truth" of what happened that day two years on from the tragic incident. Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau both died after the tragedy at The Study Prep School, in Wimbledon, South West London on July 6, 2023. The horror unfolded as a Land Rover Defender smashed through a fence while school children and staff were having a tea-party outside on the last day of term. More than fifteen others were injured in the crash, including a seven-month-old baby girl. Speaking at a remembrance event on Sunday, Nuria's mother Smera Chohan said: "We have had to fight very hard - harder than any victim should ever have had to - but we remain committed to uncovering the truth about what happened." In January, the Metropolitan Police rearrested arrested driver Claire Freemantle 48, on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. She remains in custody while investigations continue. The 48-year-old was originally released after an initial investigation by the Roads and Transport Policing Command, and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), concluded she should face no further action. Freemantle claimed she had an epileptic seizure behind the wheel and faced no charges. They added that there was no evidence Ms Freemantle had ever suffered a similar seizure before and she had no previously diagnosed medical condition. A review was carried out by the Specialist Crime Review Group (SCRG). It highlighted issues with how officers carried out the initial investigation. Family, friends & Liverpool teammates gather for Diogo Jota & brother Andre's funeral in Portugal after tragic car crash It was revealed there was a key problem with establishing the evidence of an epileptic seizure, and diagnosis without brain scans. "Our main priority is to ensure the lines of inquiry identified by the review are progressed. I would urge people to avoid speculation," Det Supt Lewis Basford said. At the memorial on Sunday, hundreds of people from the local area joined Nuria's mother Smera Chohan, her father Sajjad Butt and Selena's parents Franky Lau and Jessie Deng. Two benches dedicated to the victims' memories were decorated with flowers and messages and a two minutes' silence was observed. Following a two minutes' silence - one minute for each girl - Ms Chohan delivered an emotional speech. "We still await answers for what happened on that fateful day... and with all your support, we will continue our fight until we have the answers we deserve," Ms Chohan said. "Nothing is going to make our lives the same again... we were parents. "I sometimes don't know if I'm a mother, I need to know why I'm not a mother and Nuria deserved a thorough investigation." Selena's father added: "We are still waiting, we want a version of events that adds up." Helen Lowe, who was the school's headteacher at the time of the crash, said: "There are still no answers to what happened on that day, and in that two-year period, there have been a number of events which involved awful tragedy for children. "But the people who perpetrated those events have had to be answerable, and we don't have that, which makes it - for the parents and for us - impossible to move on." To provide information you can contact the major incident room on 0207 175 0793, call 101 quoting CAD 6528/27Jan, or message @MetCC on X providing the CAD reference. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online. 4 4
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Chelsea must sell to register new signings for Champions League
Chelsea are on course to hit the jackpot at the Club World Cup: their victory over Palmeiras in the quarter-final was worth £15.6million alone and took their total earnings so far to almost £60million. It is a handy windfall, particularly after Uefa inflicted its largest fine on the west London club last week — £27million unconditionally with the threat of a further £51.8million, part of a settlement agreement for breaching the body's financial rules. Yet it is not the fines that may have a particularly punitive impact on Chelsea. Rather, it is the sporting sanction to which the club have agreed, as have Aston Villa, who were similarly sanctioned, that poses an interesting dynamic for the rest of the summer transfer window — and likely ups the pressure on selling players. Chelsea will not be able to add players to their squad for the Champions League next season unless their 'List A transfer balance is positive'. That's a requirement in place for at least two seasons. In short, it means that any spending to add to their Uefa-registered squad list must be covered by the income of outgoing players. No Club World Cup bonus can help with that. Chelsea have a lot of players still to register, having signed Liam Delap, João Pedro and Jamie Gittens, while Estêvão Willian, Dario Essugo, Andrey Santos, Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders — should they not go on loan — may also need to be added. On Friday Enzo Maresca, the Chelsea head coach, said it was not something 'he had paid attention to'. But that may not be so easy. Chelsea's 'List A' refers to the last squad they registered with Uefa, which was delivered in February for the knockout phase of the Conference League. Crucially, that means Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana will need to be registered too, as they were not on that List A. They, along with new signings, will add costs to the incoming column. The cost of registering a new signing takes into account the salary and amortised transfer fee. So Delap's £30million signing, spread over his five-year contract, amounts to £6million for this year. Uefa does not accept contract lengths of more than five years, which it limited back in 2023. A rough calculation of amortised transfer fees alone, not including salary costs, suggests Chelsea may need to find north of £60million to register all the players mentioned above and achieve Uefa's 'positive balance' requirement. Notwithstanding any new deals for players like Fofana or Lavia, which could bring their amortised transfer fee numbers down, the pressure turns to sales. Fortunately for Chelsea, it appears outgoings do not have to be solely from last season's List A. Those that were left out of Chelsea's Club World Cup squad and are due back in training at Cobham from Monday — including João Félix, Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga and Axel Disasi — can count towards improving their transfer balance. They can be added to List A before the September 2 submission deadline and thus income from their sales will count. It is only if Chelsea's overall transfer balance is negative after the list is submitted that new players could be prevented from registering. But moving unwanted players for permanent sums can be troublesome, as Chelsea know well. So others may fall into the picture. Christopher Nkunku's future is already uncertain, and he is expected to court offers this summer. Noni Madueke, meanwhile, who has been one of Maresca's better performers and an important player en route to Champions League qualification last season, will not see the club stand in his way should he want to leave, amid interest from Arsenal. 'Noni has been very important for us during this season,' Maresca said. 'But my message to the players and to the club is that I want just players that are happy to be with us. The ones that are not happy, they are free to go. It's not for Noni, it's for all the players we have.' Another key performer during the second half of last season is the new England international Trevoh Chalobah, and an exit for him cannot be ruled out either, despite some high praise from Maresca. 'All the players that are here with us, I don't want to lose them,' Maresca said last week. 'We made the Champions League and that's also because of Trevoh. He helped us a lot. We are happy with him. Unfortunately, when the window is open, anything can happen.' Chelsea sources remain confident that they will not be adversely affected by this settlement agreement. They stress they are not forced to sell players like Madueke — unless they want to go — and are not concerned about registering players for the Champions League. Indeed, they have not ruled out further moves in the window either. West Ham United's Mohamed Kudus is of particular interest and should Madueke go, a move for the Ghanaian is set to become more likely. 'He is not our player, so I cannot say anything,' Maresca said. 'The only thing is I have known about Kudus since he was in Ajax.'
Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Europe needs a ‘reality check' on net zero, says airline boss
The former boss of one of Europe's biggest airlines has said the Continent needs a 'reality check' on environmental issues. Pieter Elbers, who led Dutch carrier KLM for eight years, said Europe's obsession with green issues was hurting its airlines and holding back economies. Mr Elbers, who now runs Indian airline IndiGo, said: 'In parts of Europe, and in the Netherlands certainly, a vocal minority is having a very significant influence on policies and direction. 'Aviation is seen as an easy target, when the challenges facing society are way too complicated to just single out one element. 'In Europe you'll see some reality checks kicking in. People need to have jobs and in order to spend money you need to earn money. If you want to spend money on health, education and all the things we collectively feel are important you need to generate income as well. 'And you need to have economic progress and prosperity to invest in sustainability. It doesn't come by itself.' Mr Elbers, who spoke after IndiGo's first flight to Manchester, said he was relieved to be free of the political and bureaucratic meddling that European airlines are being subjected to in response to environmental campaigns. Dutch curbs on aviation are the most stringent anywhere in the world, with the government implementing measures to actively slash flights from KLM's Amsterdam Schiphol base. Schiphol must this year tighten a cap on flights from 500,000 to 478,000 while cutting night services by 15pc following a Dutch edict aimed at reducing the number of people exposed to aircraft noise. KLM in December labelled the move to actively downgrade Schiphol as 'incomprehensible,' saying that limiting travel should not be seen as 'an end in itself' and that the move risked provoking retaliatory measures on the airline from other countries. Schiphol was Western Europe's third-busiest airport in 2024 with 67m passengers, despite the Netherlands having no domestic flights, and has historically been regarded as one of the crown jewels of the Dutch economy. Mr Elbers, 55, who left the Dutch division of Air France-KLM in 2022 after three decades, said the contrast in attitudes to aviation in Europe and Asia could not be clearer. He said: 'In the three years I've been living, working and residing in India I have seen a government that is embracing aviation as a catalyst for economic and social progression. 'Being in a country where aviation is being embraced, the cheer and enthusiasm of people for joining in, and the enthusiasm for new airports, it's refreshing to see.' Mr Elbers said India represented the 'last frontier' as the country seeks to expand its transport infrastructure to reflect the size of its population – at 1.4bn, the largest on the planet – following years of underinvestment, red tape and high taxation. Mumbai and Delhi are both gaining second airports, while India is targeting the construction of 100km (62 miles) of highway every day and has commissioned nine high speed railway lines, most of them several times longer than High Speed 2. The Dutchman said he does not see the crash last month of a Boeing 787 jet operated by IndiGo rival Air India, which killed at least 270 people, as likely to hold back his airline's expansion into international markets, and that bookings have not been affected. He said: 'Over the decades of aviation we have worked to create a safe operating environment and we will continue to do that. 'When it comes to what caused it, everyone is just awaiting the outcome of the investigation. We should just remain calm and continue to operate safely.' He said IndiGo has completed checks of its own 787s. Its jets use engines from Rolls-Royce, unlike the one that came down on take-off from Ahmedabad, which was powered by turbines from General Electric.
