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Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
4 AISATS executives seen ‘partying' days after Ahmedabad crash fired
New Delhi: Airport services firm Air India SATS Services (AISATS) Private Limited on Friday said it has taken 'firm disciplinary action' against four executives for hosting a party at its office, days after a video clip of the gathering sparked criticism. Wreckage of an Air India aircraft, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, which crashed during take-off from an airport in Ahmedabad (REUTERS) Officials in the know of the development said the services of the four executives – chief operating officer Abraham Zachariah, two senior vice-presidents and the head of training – were terminated for their direct involvement in the party that appeared to have been hosted days after the Ahmedabad plane crash. AISATS is a joint venture between Tata Group-owned Air India and Singapore's SATS Ltd, a global provider of gateway and food solutions. In India, the company offers a range of airport services, including ground handling and cargo operations. In a statement, AISATS said it stood in solidarity with the families affected by the tragic loss of AI 171 and expressed regret over the lapse in judgment shown in the internal video. 'At AISATS, we stand in solidarity with the families affected by the tragic loss of AI 171 and deeply regret the lapse in judgment reflected in a recent internal video. The behaviour does not align with our values, and firm disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible as we reaffirm our commitment to empathy, professionalism, and accountability,' its spokesperson said. The statement didn't mention when the party took place. The backlash began after a video posted on X on June 20, appeared to show AISATS staff dancing to music during an in-office celebration. Many people criticised the party that appeared to have been hosted just days after the London-bound Air India 171 flight crashed just outside Ahmedabad airport, killing around 260 people. The video sparked outrage on social media, with many users calling the event insensitive and disrespectful to the victims' families still mourning their loss. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is currently investigating the crash of AI-171.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Time of India
Tatas suspend 4 after Air India SATS party video sparks outrage
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Following public backlash over a video showing SATS executives partying in their Gurugram office shortly after the June 12 Air India flight 171 crash, has taken disciplinary action against several people. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Four senior officials were suspended from Air India SATS, while multiple others were issued a warning, the company said on Friday. The video, which garnered over 3.8 million views on X, captured several executives dancing with loud music playing during a celebration at Air India SATS's Gurugram premises on June 20. The celebration was widely criticised as inappropriate and inconsiderate, particularly as affected families were still mourning. The AI-171 crash on June 12 resulted in fatalities of all crew members and passengers except one, along with casualties on the ground. "Air India SATS deeply regrets the lapse in judgment reflected in a recent internal video," said a spokesperson of the company. "The behaviour does not align with our values, and firm disciplinary action has been taken against those responsible," the spokesperson added.
UPI
a day ago
- General
- UPI
Analysis of flight recorder data from Air India crash gets underway
Air accident investigators in Delhi have begun studying data downloaded from two black boxes from the crash site of Air India flight 171 in Ahmedabad after they were recovered two days apart by State Disaster Response Force search teams earlier this month. File Photo by Hanif Sindh/UPI | License Photo June 27 (UPI) -- Indian air accident investigators have begun analysis of flight recorder data from the deadly Air India crash earlier in June after successfully recovering the information from the two black boxes on board. Investigators in Delhi began sifting through the data after an Air Accident Investigation Bureau team, assisted by U.S. National Transportation Safety Board specialists, downloaded it from the memory of the Crash Protection Module after safely extracting it from the front black box, the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry said Thursday in an update. "The analysis of Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder data is underway. These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences," said the ministry. However, it could be weeks before the conclusions drawn from the recorder data, which captures key information on the position of flap and throttle levers and engine and fuel parameters as well as conversation and sounds in the cockpit, are made public. London-bound Air India flight 171 crashed into a heavily populated area June 12 shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew and killing and injuring dozens more on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with two very senior, experienced pilots at the controls, was seen to lift off and climb normally before apparently stalling at around 600 feet and plummeting to the ground with its landing gear still down. The captain issued a mayday call, but air traffic control received no reply when it responded seconds later, creating the scene for one of civil aviation's most mysterious disasters involving an aircraft that is among the safest ever made. Experts said it was unusual for there to be such a long gap between finding the boxes at the crash site and downloading what was on them. Search teams discovered the CVR and FDR, known as Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders on the 787, on June 13 and June 16, respectively, according to the aviation ministry. The news came after Indian authorities postponed sending the boxes to the United States for analysis as had been expected, with Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Nadu confirming the data would initially be examined by India's AAIB experts. A decision on whether either of the flight recorders should be shipped overseas for further analysis would be taken once a comprehensive evaluation of technical, safety and security factors had been carried out by the AAIB, the government said Thursday. Indian authorities' approach has raised eyebrows amid intense focus on the safety record of the country's civil aviation sector in the wake of the disaster with the aviation watchdog issuing warnings over repeated aircraft maintenance and inspection failings at Delhi and Mumbai airports. The Civil Aviation Directorate General, which is carrying an appraisal of the industry separate to the Air India investigation in an effort to provide public reassurance, said the fact the issues were far from isolated incidents was indicative of "ineffective monitoring and inadequate rectification action." It also found that safety protocols and certain faults were ignored by some maintenance engineers when aircraft were in for servicing, and that they didn't always adhere to scheduled maintenance tasks and checks. Aircraft maintenance is highly regulated under standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization, but relies on domestic authorities for compliance and oversight.
New Straits Times
2 days ago
- New Straits Times
Flying anxiety peaks in India after deadly Ahmedabad crash
Retired Air Force officer K. Dinesh has seen a surge in demand for his US$500 therapy course to help people overcome their fear of flying since Air India flight 171 crashed moments after take-off from Ahmedabad two weeks ago. Dinesh uses a combination of flight simulation and counselling at his Cockpit Vista centre for "fear of flying solutions" in Bengaluru, the only one in India. The centre has received more than 100 enquiries since the disaster, compared with a previous average of about 10 a month. "Fear of flying is typically to do with things happening on an aeroplane — the sounds, motion, vibrations... exposure therapy is the only solution," said Dinesh, 55, during a tour of the facility where he demonstrated how cockpit controls relate to movements that often worry passengers. The centre has a simulator for a Boeing and Cessna plane to help people experience how landings and takeoffs appear from the cockpit and understand that not every vibration or sound during a flight signals danger. WhatsApp messages Dinesh received, and shared with Reuters, showed individuals complaining about "losing confidence" after the crash while others said it was "too hard on the brain". A chilling 59-second CCTV clip showing the crash of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which killed 260 people, has been widely shared on social media and TV channels since the June 12 accident, which aviation and mental health experts said had led to an unusually high number of counselling requests. Some travellers are becoming more choosy in selecting their airline and aircraft — Boeing or Airbus — while others are so anxious they are taking more drastic steps by rescheduling or cancelling their air travel plans altogether. "I am filtering on the basis of not having to fly a Boeing ... I'm bloody terrified currently, and I don't want to get back on a flight," said London-based Indian marketing consultant Nidhi Bhatia, 25, who flew to Mumbai in an Air India Boeing 777 plane a day before the Ahmedabad crash. Unlike India, Western countries have many more formal setups to help people tackle their fear of flying, in its most intense form known as aerophobia, as fatal crashes often spike worries among travellers across the world. Days after an American Airlines plane collided with a helicopter in Washington, killing more than 60 people, a survey of 1,000 United States consumers by research firm Prodege found 55 per cent of travellers had higher anxiety, while 38 per cent had reconsidered or cancelled travel plans. Google Trends data shows searches for the term "flying fear" in India hit "peak popularity" a day after the Air India crash, and the phrase was still being widely searched. Flying is typically seen as a safe mode of transport, and crashes during takeoff are especially rare. The International Civil Aviation Organisation said there were 1.87 accidents per million departures in 2023, its most recent annual air safety report. Of the nine hull loss accidents without fatalities recorded in 2024, only two occurred on takeoff, according to Airbus' website. The airport CCTV recording from Ahmedabad shows the Air India plane rose to a height of 650 feet after it took off, but suddenly lost altitude, crashing in a fireball into a nearby building — all within 60 seconds. The disturbing footage was a key cause of the panic among Indian travellers, said five mental health experts. People were seeking help because they had developed insomnia or become obsessed with flight updates, they said. Others were scared of letting their loved ones travel on planes, complaining of "debilitating anxiety" for their relatives in transit "to an extent where they have been unable to focus on their daily chores" because they were constantly checking messages to see if they had landed, said psychologist Pankti Gohel. Since the crash, many travellers fear travelling with Air India and are seeking alternative airlines, according to Jaya Tours, a mid-sized booking agency in Mumbai. The Indian Association of Tour Operators, which represents more than 1,600 agents, said overall flight bookings dropped by 15 to 20 per cent soon after the Air India crash, while 30 to 40 per cent of booked tickets were also cancelled.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Investigators begin analyzing data from black boxes of Air India flight that crashed
NEW DELHI (AP) — Investigators have begun analyzing data extracted from the black boxes of the ill-fated Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed about two weeks ago, killing at least 270 people, India's civil aviation ministry said on Thursday. The data is crucial as it will help shed light on the cause of the country's worst aviation disaster in recent memory. A team led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, or AAIB, has started looking at the data with support from the U.S. National Transport Safety Board, the ministry said in a statement. 'These efforts aim to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the accident and identify contributing factors to enhance aviation safety and prevent future occurrences,' the ministry said. Indian investigators recovered the black boxes from the wreckage site in the northwestern Indian city of Ahmedabad, a couple of days after the London-bound Air India flight 171 struck a residential area minutes after takeoff. The crash killed 241 people onboard and at least 29 on the ground. There was one survivor. The so-called 'black box' is one of the most important pieces of forensic evidence following a plane crash. There are typically two sturdy devices, the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. And they're typically orange, not black. Indian authorities flew the black boxes from Ahmedabad to the national capital in an Indian Air Force aircraft amid tight security early this week. The investigation could take weeks or months. India set up a state-of-the-art laboratory in New Delhi in April to help AAIB repair damaged black boxes and retrieve data to enhance the accuracy of investigations. A multidisciplinary team led by AAIB Chief GVG Yugandhar is probing the Air India crash with assistance from aviation and air traffic control specialists and experts from the National Transport Safety Board. The Indian government has also set up a separate, high-level committee to examine the causes leading to the crash and formulate procedures to prevent and handle aircraft emergencies in the future. The committee is expected to file a preliminary report within three months. Following the June 12 crash, Indian authorities had ordered deeper checks of Air India's entire fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner to prevent future incidents. Air India has 33 Dreamliner in its fleet. Inspection has been completed for at least 26 while four were undergoing long-term maintenance. The rest were expected to finish the safety checks soon.
