Latest news with #K.RammohanNaidu
The Hindu
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Rajya Sabha: Union Civil Aviation Minister speaks on media reports about Ahmedabad flight crash investigation during Question Hour
Responding to a question during Question Hour of the Rajya Sabha regarding the Ahmedabad Air India AI171 flight crash, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said. 'To have a definitive answer and definitive future correction measures, we have to look at the final report. I can say this House and to the people of this country, the AAIB has a very definitive, thorough, rules-based process. We have followed thoroughly, without any negligence, we have thoroughly followed all the corrective and suggestive measures from the ICAO international protocol,' he said. Also Read: Parliament Monsoon Session Day 1 LIVE updates on July 21, 2025 'They are very transparently looking into the process right now, and they are totally unbiased. The AAIB is totally unbiased and looking into the facts,' the Union Minister said. 'There can be many questions; I have seen multiple articles by not only Indian media but also western media trying to promote their own narrative, their own viewpoint, their own considerations, but I have to tell you that the way we are seeing the investigation is through the facts. We want to stand by the truth. Not what is happening with the pilots, or not what is happening with Boeing or not what is happening with Air India or any other stakeholder,' he added. 'We want to find out what exactly happened, and that is only going to come out once the final report has been placed. We have to respect the process of investigation, and once that process of investigation has happened, then we can talk about what happened and how it happened and then the corrective measures,' Mr. Naidu said. Union Minister Naidu further said that the government is not differentiating between the victims of the Ahmedabad flight crash. 'The compensation for passengers and others who were killed on the ground, or the students who were killed at the medical college near the accident site has been the same,' he added.
The Hindu
12-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Ahmedabad flight crash report: Immature to jump to conclusions now, says Union Minister Rammohan Naidu
Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Saturday (July 12, 2025) said that it is immature to jump to conclusions at the juncture over the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has only released the preliminary report. Ahmedabad plane crash: Full coverage On June 12, a London-bound Air India flight, AI 171, crashed immediately after take off in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. "So, let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage. Let us wait for the final report. These are technical things and that is why we have these investigation agencies. Once they are clear..., they are going to submit the final report. At this stage it will be very immature for me to comment on it," said Mr. Naidu. Also Read | Air India crash report: Pilots' grouping ALPA seeks fair, fact-based probe into AI plane crash Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in the port city, the Civil Aviation Minister praised the AAIB, Indian pilots and cabin crews, calling them the 'best' in the world. Rammohan Naidu on AAIB's preliminary report on Air India plane crash He also underscored that 'justice' has to be done to the family members of one of India's worst air disasters. "Justice has to be done. So, I know it is a very difficult time for the family members, but from our side, whatever best we can do from the ministry we are trying to assist," he added. Also Read | How Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad: Final moments of AI171 Promising assistance to the AAIB in submitting the final report, the Aviation Minister noted that, 'We have to wait for something 'concrete' to emerge. This is a preliminary report right now and from the ministry we are analysing the report but I think it would be better if we comment on it once the final report comes in.' 'We are hoping that as soon as possible the final report comes in then we can arrive at some conclusion,' said Mr. Naidu, adding that there are multiple other things that also need to be looked into before preparing the final report. The Minister, said for the first time that securing the black box and trying to decode its data is being done in India in the AAIB lab in Delhi. "So, I would like to appreciate all the efforts they put in to do a very transparent, very mature (and) professional way the investigation has been done," he said. Mr. Naidu also highlighted that AAIB has respected all the international protocols while preparing the report. Also Read | Air India crash report: Can't draw conclusions, pilots' conversation brief, says MoS Civil Aviation Further, he eulogised Indian pilots and cabin crew, calling them 'the most wonderful workforce'. "I have to appreciate all the efforts the pilots and crew in this country are putting into aviation," he said, adding that they are the backbone and primary resource of Civil Aviation.
The Hindu
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
AAIB's preliminary report on Air India plane crash 'very soon': Civil Aviation Minister Naidu
Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau's (AAIB) preliminary investigation report on the fatal Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last month is expected very soon, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said on Friday and emphasised that the ministry is ensuring transparency and accountability in the probe. On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft operating flight AI 171 en-route to London Gatwick crashed into a medical hostel complex soon after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people, including 241 who were onboard the plane. One passenger survived the crash. 'Very soon... AAIB is working on it... it is the responsibility of AAIB, let them do their job,' Mr. Naidu said. He was responding to a query on when the preliminary probe report on the Air India aircraft crash is expected to be released. The ministry is ensuring that transparency and accountability are there in the whole investigation process, the minister said on the sidelines of a conference here. Under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) norms, AAIB can submit a preliminary report within 30 days of the accident to it. The Ahmedabad crash was also the first time that the best-selling wide-body Dreamliner or Boeing 787 suffered a fatal accident resulting in hull loss. On June 26, a status report of the crash was released by the ministry.
Mint
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Air India crash: How is the Indian probe going?
Every aircraft is fitted with a 'black box", a device that tracks key attributes of a flight. The black boxes mounted on board commercial flights comprise two devices. The first is the flight data recorder, or FDR, which records these attributes or 'parameters", including a flight's time and altitude for the total duration of a journey. The second is the cockpit voice recorder, or CVR. It records all sounds made in the cockpit, including what the pilots and the flight crew say, besides sounds made by equipment. The black boxes store their data in memory chips and can withstand extreme heat and water depths. Also read | Hormuz heat rises: Can India weather an oil shock? India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), reporting to the ministry of civil aviation, has started a preliminary investigation of the crash, led by the director general. The AAIB team recovered the flight's first black box set on 13 June, and the other set on 16 June. The AAIB has gathered all evidence, including debris from the crash. Now, it will draft technical reports, piecing together what led to the crash, based on all the evidence, including evidence from the black box. A final report must be accepted by the DG of civil aviation and then made public on the AAIB website. Also read | What global central banks are signalling about the road ahead Some news outlets reported that India was planning to send the black boxes to the US for further analysis, suggesting that Indian facilities were unable to retrieve all the data from the devices. Civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu denied the claim. In April, Naidu had inaugurated a brand new 'Black Box Lab" in New Delhi, a state-of-the-art facility that cost ₹9 crore. Also read | There is no timeline and minister Naidu told reporters the technical process will take its due course. The AAIB is yet to decide where the black boxes should be taken for data retrieval, the civil aviation ministry said last week. However, a high-level committee under the home secretary has promised to produce a report in three months, recommending long-term reforms to improve aviation safety in India. The Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017 say a final report should be submitted to all concerned parties. Also read | US GDP contracts 0.3% in Q1—why the IMF still sees no recession Not exactly. The International Civil Aviation Organization (Icao) says a preliminary report should be submitted to it within 30 days of a crash. AAIB rules have no such deadline. India is an Icao signatory. Aviation safety expert Amit Singh said international rules mandate an independent chief investigator or judicial inquiry for a serious air accident. Instead, the Centre has appointed a high-level panel. Final air crash reports are tabled and made public as per Icao standards in Annex 13, but experts say Indian authorities often breach them.
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Black box of crashed Air India plane is in India, being examined by AAIB: Civil Aviation Minister
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu on Tuesday (June 24, 2025) said the black box of the Air India plane which crashed in Ahmedabad earlier this month was being examined by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, and dismissed speculation that it would be sent abroad for an inquiry. The London-bound Air India flight crashed into a hostel complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport there on June 12 afternoon, killing 270 persons, including 241 on board. One passenger survived. The black box of Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane was recovered from the site on June 13. A black box is a small device that records information about an aircraft during its flight. It helps in the investigation of aviation accidents. Asked about some media reports suggesting the black box would be sent abroad for a probe into the incident, Naidu said, "...it is all speculation. The black box is very much in India and it it currently being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB)." To a query on when is the black box data expected to be retrieved, the minister said it is a very technical matter. "Let the AAIB conduct the probe and go through the entire process," he added. Mr. Naidu was speaking here on the sidelines of the Helicopters & Small Aircraft Summit 2025, organised by FICCI jointly with the Ministry of Civil Aviation. A high-level panel has been set up to investigate the causes of the Ahmedabad plane crash and the investigation is progressing smoothly, the government said after the incident. "Decoding the black box is going to give an in-depth insight into what happened moments before the plane crash," Mr. Naidu had earlier said.
