Ahmedabad Air India plane crash: Former aviation minister Praful Patel questions 'silence' of Singapore Airlines
Former
Civil Aviation Minister
and senior NCP leader
Praful Patel
on Wednesday questioned the "silence" of
Singapore Airlines
over the horrific crash of an
Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
in Ahmedabad last week.
Singapore Airlines is a 25.1 per cent stakeholder in Tata Group-run Air India, and holds a board position in the airline.
Taking to X, Patel expressed dismay at what he termed as a "surprising silence" from Singapore Airlines over the tragedy.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Private Jet - The Prices May Surprise You!
Private Jet I Search Ads
Learn More
Undo
The London-bound Boeing 787-8 aircraft carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12.
While 241 persons on board the aircraft died, one miraculously survived. Besides, 29 persons on the ground were also killed in the tragedy.
Live Events
"In all the sorrow and din surrounding the
Air India
crash, there remains a surprising silence - or perhaps ignorance - about the role of a substantial shareholder, and the entity responsible for maintaining a large number, if not all, of Air India's wide-body aircraft," Patel said in a post on X.
"Guess the name: Singapore Airlines. They seem to be in hiding. Let's not forget - they have a say in management and a codeshare agreement with Air India," said the NCP leader, whose party is an ally of the ruling BJP.
Highlighting the connection between Singapore Airlines and Air India's leadership, Patel said, "Importantly, Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, is a nominee of Singapore Airlines. He previously served as CEO of their low-cost subsidiary, Scoot Airlines. Why this deafening silence, SQ?"
SQ is the IATA code of Singapore Airlines.
Almost a week after the
Air India plane crash
, the Singapore Airlines in a statement on Wednesday said it was in "close contact" with Tata Sons.
The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of everyone affected by the devastating
Air India flight AI171
accident, the airline said.
"We have been in close contact with our partner Tata Sons and Air India, and continue to offer our full support and all necessary assistance to them during this difficult time," it said.
Investigations into the crash are currently being conducted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (
DGCA
) and Air India's internal safety board.
Besides, the government has also set up a high-level committee under Union Home Secretary to conduct a probe into the accident.
The committee has to submit its report in three months.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Print
33 minutes ago
- The Print
Troubles at Air India continue: Flights to London, Paris cancelled; glitch hits San Francisco-Mumbai flight
Separately, Air India terminated its San Francisco-Mumbai flight at its scheduled stopover at Kolkata early on Tuesday morning after one of its engines developed a technical snag. While Air India cancelled the Delhi-Paris flight after some problems were detected during pre-flight checks, its Ahmedabad-London one was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline said. Mumbai/Kolkata, Jun 17 (PTI) Troubles continued at Air India, which is facing the biggest crisis since Tata group bought the airline three and a half years back, with its flights to London and Paris on Tuesday being cancelled for varied reasons and a glitch forcing fliers on San Francisco-Mumbai flight to deplane during a stopover. The disruptions came as investigators probe what caused a London-bound Air India flight to crash in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on June 12, killing more than 270 people onboard and on the ground. The incident dealt a severe blow to the airline and its owner Tata, which prides itself for producing luxury cars to salt and software as well as assembly of iPhone. In a statement, Air India said flight AI143 from Delhi to Paris has been cancelled after 'mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed'. It did not detail the issue that came to light during pre-flight checks. 'However, in view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, the said flight has been cancelled,' Air India said. The airline said it is providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Air India also said it is making alternative arrangements to fly passengers to their destination at the earliest. The airline, which on Monday resumed flights from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick with a new code AI159 instead of AI171 of the flight that crashed on June 12, had to cancel the flight on Tuesday due to unavailability of aircraft. It denied claims that a technical snag led to the cancellation and maintained that it has made alternative arrangements for the affected passengers to their destination and offered full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by them. Air India's official website confirmed that the AI-159 flight from Ahmedabad to the Gatwick airport in London stands cancelled after being rescheduled. The plane was scheduled to depart at 3 pm from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA). 'Flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick (London) has been cancelled today (Tuesday) due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed,' an AI spokesperson said. 'We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by passengers,' he added. Consequently, flight AI-170 from London (Gatwick) to Amritsar on June 17 stands cancelled, the airline said. Iran has closed its airspace due to its ongoing war with Israel, affecting flights headed to Europe. AI's direct flight from Ahmedabad to London was earlier known by its assigned code 'AI-171'. Airport sources said the flight having code AI-171 was suspended after the horrific crash which claimed 270 lives, including 29 people on the ground. It resumed operation on Monday (June 16), five days after the crash, with a new flight code AI-159, said an airport official. Separately, an Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata suffered a technical snag early Tuesday, requiring passengers to deboard during a scheduled halt at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. The termination led to chaotic scenes at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport as the 211 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 LR tried to convince officials to let them reach their destination at the earliest. The Tata Group-owned carrier did not issue an official statement. Sources said Air India is making 'special arrangements' to fly the stranded passengers to Mumbai. No further details were available. Usually, the carrier flies directly to Mumbai from San Francisco but the ongoing geopolitical events, including the closure of Pakistani airspace, have led AI to reroute it and take a 'technical halt' in Kolkata. Flight AI-180 landed in Kolkata at the scheduled time of 12.45 am, even though it took off one hour late from San Francisco. According to sources, a technical issue was detected during routine post-landing checks, and the airline decided to do a comprehensive check. It was scheduled to depart for Mumbai at 2 am, but passengers came to know of the problems only after 2.40 am when the crew announced there was a problem with the left engine, according to a PTI reporter who was on the flight. However, this announcement was accompanied by a specific promise, that the snag will take up to 25 minutes to get sorted, the reporter said. However, as the clock ticked by, distraught passengers having connecting flights from Mumbai started enquiring about the progress of the work with the cabin crew, but there was no clear response, the reporter said. With the Ahmedabad accident being fresh, some passengers also said a delay is better than a mishap, while some wondered how an aircraft which had travelled thousands of kilometres could face problems in the last leg from Kolkata to Mumbai. The next announcement came at 4.20 am when the pilots sought another 15-20 minutes for rectification of the problem. The engineers could be seen working on the left engine even as a drizzle continued, but the problem persisted. Finally, around 5.20 am, the pilots announced that a resolution was not possible and asked all passengers to deplane. After disembarking and passing the mandatory immigration, collecting baggage and passing the customs channels, the passengers were asked to sit in a designated area. A few passengers pleaded with officials asking for the earliest option to travel to Mumbai. Some got lucky, while others continued to wait. Finally, an Air India official announced that Mumbai-bound flights were mostly full and convinced a bulk of the passengers to check into a hotel. PTI IAS AA ANZ BAL BAL This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
36 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Crypto market pauses as BTC dips below $105,500 ahead of US Fed decision
Bitcoin price today, Wednesday, June 18, 2025: The cryptocurrency market is trading sideways ahead of the US Federal Reserve 's decision on key interest rates and the release of weekly jobless claims data later today. The flagship cryptocurrency, Bitcoin (BTC), briefly touched $107,253 in early trading but has since slipped below $105,500, primarily due to fresh geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, analysts said. Analysts, however, believe that the regulatory developments such as the GENIUS Act and Thailand's recent five-year tax exemption policy are shaping a new global crypto landscape. As of 12:13 PM on Wednesday, June 18, Bitcoin (BTC) was trading at $105,156.58, down 1.71 per cent, with a 24-hour trading volume of $53.03 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. The cryptocurrency has fluctuated between $103,396.53 and $107,253.95 in the past 24 hours. Bitcoin's market capitalisation stood at $2.09 trillion, cementing its position as the world's largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Investors eye US Fed rate cut decision Bitcoin, Edul Patel, Co-founder and CEO of Mudrex, said, is trading near $105,000 as the crypto market reacts to the fresh escalations in the Middle East. "While retail investors remain cautious, institutions continue to buy, with Bitcoin ETFs recording over $412 million in net inflow, indicating long-term conviction in the asset," said Patel. Patel expects the markets to trade sideways ahead of the Fed rate cut decision and the US jobless claims data later today. "A dovish outcome from the FOMC meeting could trigger a breakout above $107,700, while key support remains firm at $102,200." Meanwhile, Riya Sehgal, research analyst, Delta Exchange, believes the key resistance lies at 106.5k as it is holding above $105k with higher lows which signals relative strength. US Senate passes GENIUS Act Overnight, the US Senate passed the GENIUS Act, a bill establishing a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins, with a 68–30 vote. The legislation mandates that stablecoins be fully backed by liquid assets like US dollars or short-term Treasury bills and requires issuers to disclose reserve compositions monthly. This bipartisan measure aims to enhance transparency, protect consumers, and bolster the role of the US dollar in digital transactions. The GENIUS Act's Senate passage, Himanshu Maradiya, founder & chairman of CIFDAQ, said, marks a turning point in US stablecoin regulation, ushering in transparency, full reserve backing, and strict auditing. "While it tightens the noose around offshore issuers like Tether, it creates fertile ground for compliant players like USDC, PayPal USD, and bank-issued tokens. Tether's exclusion from US financial rails could lead to a reshuffle in stablecoin dominance," said Maradiya. Maradiya expects US-based stablecoins to gain market share and attract deeper institutional use. 'Investors should watch for new GENIUS-compliant entrants, as regulatory clarity fuels capital inflows into compliant DeFi and stablecoin infrastructure—key pillars for the next phase of crypto's mainstream adoption,' he added. Ethereum and other altcoins trade lower Ethereum (ETH) was trading on a similar trajectory, hovering near $2,530, stuck in a consolidation zone between $2,450 and $2,575. Last check, Ethereum was seen trading at around $2,537.54, lower by 1.93 per cent, with a trading volume of $23.51 billion. Ethereum has traded in the range of $2,456.65 to $2,588.21 in the last 24 hours. The structure shows lower highs, suggesting caution. Among other popular altcoins, Solana (SOL) was trading lower by 4 per cent, Hyperliquid (HYPE) was down 3.92 per cent, Ripple (XRP) was lower by 3.5 per cent, Cardano (ADA) was down 2.72 per cent, and Binance Coin (BNB) was lower by 0.59 per cent.
NDTV
38 minutes ago
- NDTV
This Air Carrier Is Ranked World's Best Airlines For 2025
London: For the second year running, Qatar Airways has won the World's Best Airline title at the 2025 Skytrax World Airline Awards. Singapore Airlines came second and Cathay Pacific was third, according to the UK-based consultancy, which runs the aviation review website. This is the 9th time the Qatari national carrier has won the coveted honour in the 26-year history of the awards, known as the "Oscars of the aviation industry." Qatar Airways was also named the Best Airline in the Middle East, the Best Business Class in the World, and the Best Business Class Airline Lounge at the ceremony held at Paris Air Show's Air and Space Museum in the stunning Art Deco Hall of Eight Columns at Le Bourget airport. "This recognition is much more than an award; it is a celebration of the passion, accuracy, and purpose that define who we are as an airline," Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, CEO of Qatar Airways Group, said. Qatar Airways remains the champion of the skies as Airline of the Year, for a record 9th time. #ParisAirshow #QatarAirways #Skytrax2025 — Qatar Airways (@qatarairways) June 17, 2025 "Being continuously recognised as a 5-Star Airline further underscores our mission: to set new benchmarks for the industry and to ensure that our passengers feel genuinely cared for, valued and inspired to return," he said. These awards are a tribute to the trust of millions of travellers who choose us every year and a clear validation of our vision to shape the future of air travel, he said. Founded in 1993, Qatar Airways last month announced it would place a landmark order with Boeing for up to 210 widebody aircraft, including 130 Dreamliners and 30 777-9s, per CNN. Dubai's Emirates came in 4th place, followed by ANA All Nippon Airways, Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, Air France, and Japan Airlines. China's Hainan Airlines was 10th in the 2025 Skytrax airline awards. Singapore Airlines, which has won the World's Best Airline award five times, came in second this year and was also recognised as the Best Airline in Asia, World's Best Cabin Crew, and World's Best First Class. Other noteworthy airlines that made it into the world's top 20 include Swiss International Air Lines, British Airways, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, Air Canada, STARLUX Airlines, EVA Air, Saudia, and Iberia.
