Air India Plane Crash: Parliamentary panel to discuss ‘civil aviation safety', other issues today
The meeting is being held almost a month after the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad that killed over 260 people. The panel is expected to ask the Civil Aviation Ministry questions about the Air India crash and overall air safety issues. The panel may also want to know the probe into the accident by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
Janata Dal-United (JD-U) Member of Parliament Sanjay Jha is the chairman of the panel. The Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, is also expected to attend today's meeting.
News agency ANI said earlier this week that the AAIB has submitted its preliminary report on the crash to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other concerned authorities. The report is based on the initial findings of the ongoing investigation into the tragic incident.
The 12 June crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI171.
Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.
On 8 July, another parliamentary committee, the Public Accounts Committee, headed by Congress MP KC Venugopal, inquired about the expected timeline for the investigation report on the crash and the analysis of the aircraft's black boxes.
'These are ongoing discussions regarding tariffs, flight fares… The safety aspect was also discussed. All members are very keen on asking questions on safety. This meeting will continue. Once they reply, we will meet again. Some of the questions on safety were answered by the DGCA [Directorate General of Civil Aviation],' Venugopal was quoted as saying by the Indian Express.
'We discussed the fare increase because we discussed the post-Pahalgam issue and during Kumbh (fare increase)… The committee asked about clear-cut regulations on fares and on fair play,' he said.
Former civil aviation minister and NCP MP Praful Patel, who is among the committee members, emphasised that the DGCA was well equipped but needed more staff as it 'has a shortage of top-level skilled people'.
'We discussed the fare increase because we discussed the post-Pahalgam issue and during Kumbh (fare increase)… The committee asked about clear-cut regulations on fares and on fair play,' he added.
Former civil aviation minister and NCP MP Praful Patel, who is among the committee members, emphasised that the DGCA was well equipped but needed more staff as it 'has a shortage of top-level skilled people'.
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