Is flying safe? What travelers need to know after the Air India crash
What happened to the Air India flight?
It's too soon to know what caused the crash. Investigations into major aviation incidents often take weeks or months to release initial findings, and a final analysis can take a year or more.
Because the incident happened on Indian soil and involved an Indian airline, local authorities in India will lead the investigation. However, representatives from Boeing and the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board will likely be party to the inquiry because the Boeing aircraft involved was manufactured in the U.S.
Still, all official updates as the investigation unfolds will likely come from Indian authorities.
Were there survivors in the Air India crash?
Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, appears to be the sole survivor.
G.S. Malik, Ahmedabad's police chief, told Indian news media that Ramesh may have survived what no one else did. However, local officials have not yet definitively concluded that everyone aboard the jet was killed.
Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. He said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground.
Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.
A source told Reuters that the passengers included 217 adults, 11 children, and two infants. Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven were Portuguese, and one was Canadian, Air India said.
Is flying safe?
Yes. Flying remains the safest way to travel.
Thursday's incident is the first ever hull loss of a Boeing 787 since the plane type entered service in 2011.
While images of aviation disasters are harrowing, statistically speaking, major fatal airline accidents are extremely rare and the industry prioritizes learning from each one to make flying ever safer.
Nervous flyers can book a call with Dial A Pilot to "partner with a real airline pilot to learn the truth behind how safe aviation really is."
Cruising Altitude: Investigations don't undo air crashes but they prevent tragic repeats
Are pilot standards different abroad than those in the US?
Yes. Countries have some leeway to set their own pilot training standards, and the U.S. has the highest threshold for minimum flight hours in the world.
That said, India is a huge market for aviation and is generally regarded as a safe country for flying.
The flight was helmed by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who reportedly had over 8,000 hours of flying experience. The co-pilot had over 1,100 hours logged flying time, according to CNN.
What type of plane crashed in India?
It was a Boeing 787-8 widebody aircraft.
Is it another Boeing crash?
While a Boeing aircraft was involved in the Air India crash on Thursday, it's not clear what role, if any, the plane type played in the incident. Aviation disasters almost always have multiple causes, but the provenance of an aircraft is not always a factor.
Recent major aviation disasters
? 2025 - U.S.
More than 60 people were killed when an American Airlines regional jet and a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter collided on January 29 and crashed into the frigid Potomac River near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
? 2024 - South Korea
Jeju Air international flight 7C2216 crashed at Muan International Airport on Dec. 29, 2024, killing all 175 passengers and four of the six crew in the deadliest air disaster on South Korean soil.
? Kazakhstan
Azerbaijan Airlines international flight J2-8243, an Embraer E190, crashed on December 25 after being diverted from Russia to Kazakhstan, killing 38 people. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev said in December the plane had been damaged by accidental shooting from the ground in Russia. Moscow has not confirmed this.
? Japan
A Japan Airlines plane collided with a smaller Coast Guard aircraft on the runway of Tokyo's Haneda airport on January 2. All 379 people aboard the JAL plane, an Airbus A350-900 flight, escaped the burning airliner. Five of six crew on the smaller aircraft were killed.
? 2022 - China
A China Eastern Airlines Boeing 737-800 crashed into a mountainous region in the southwestern Guangxi region on March 21, 2022, killing all 132 people on board, in China's deadliest aviation disaster in 28 years.
? 2020 - Iran
Iran's Revolutionary Guards shot down a Ukraine International Airlines Boeing 737-800 on Jan. 8, 2020, shortly after it took off from Tehran Airport, killing all 176 people on board. Iran's civil aviation body blamed a misaligned radar and an error by an air defense operator.
? 2019 - Ethiopia
? A Boeing 737-MAX 8 Ethiopian Airlines jet crashed on March 19, 2019, minutes after takeoff from Addis Ababa for Nairobi, killing all 157 people on board.
Soon after, the Boeing 737 MAX global fleet was grounded over safety concerns.
? 2018 - Indonesia
A Boeing 737 MAX Lion Air plane crashed into the Java Sea soon after taking off from Jakarta on October 29, 2018, killing all 189 people on board.
? 2014 - Malaysia
Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam for Kuala Lumpur on July 17, 2014, and was shot down over eastern Ukraine as fighting raged between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. All 298 passengers on board were killed.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. The remains of the Boeing 777 and the 239 people have not been found.
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Contributing: Reuters
Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.
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South Wales Guardian
an hour ago
- South Wales Guardian
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
North Wales Chronicle
an hour ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths. 'The only feeling left is sadness – we can't do any more,' Mr Guruji said.
Powys County Times
an hour ago
- Powys County Times
Community visibly emotional during candlelit vigil for Air India crash victims
People attending a vigil in London to remember victims of the Air India plane crash became visibly emotional after learning that two young girls had been orphaned by the disaster. Faith leaders from the Hindu, Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities led the service on Saturday at the Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow, north-west London, where 20 of the victims are thought to have previously worshipped. One of the most emotional moments of the vigil came when Harrow Mayor, Councillor Anjana Patel, shared that two young girls had lost their father in the crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer. Their father, Arjun Patoliya, had flown to Gujarat to scatter his wife Bharti's ashes following her death. He was returning home to his daughters, aged four and eight, when the plane went down. 'The saddest incident we have got here in Harrow is one parent had already died here because of cancer,' Cllr Patel said, as the crowd audibly gasped. 'The husband went to do the rituals in India and coming back, he was on board. He has left two little girls behind and the girls are now orphans. 'I really hope that those girls will be looked after by all of us.' She added: 'Caring is the most that we can do at this hour. 'We don't have any words to describe how the families and friends must be feeling, so what we can do is pray for them.' She also revealed how her sister-in-law's cousin had been killed in the crash. Local councillors, a local MP and residents packed into the temple for the ceremony, which included emotional tributes, candle lighting, and a message of condolence from the King. Bob Blackman, MP for Harrow East, said it was believed to be the highest number of British deaths ever recorded in a plane crash, with 53 UK nationals on board. 'When someone dies in illness or old age, we celebrate their lives,' he said. 'But when an air crash happens – completely unpredictable – people are taken away from us immediately, just like that.' 'We think of all those families sitting by the telephone, wondering if their loved ones were actually on the plane.' He said the Gujarati community in the UK was deeply affected, with victims having links to Harrow, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond. 'The difficulty the authorities have already got is: who are they visiting? Which family members were they coming to see in the UK?' he said. Councillor Hitesh Karia, who represents Pinner South ward and is a member of the temple's congregation, also shared the impact of the tragedy. Speaking to the PA news agency, he said: 'It's nice that the local community can come together – the local support means a lot. 'Twenty devotees that come here have sadly lost their lives.' 'It shows there is a solidarity, and despite the high amount of diversity, we can come together when appropriate.' The vigil was held at the temple led by Shri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, who previously told PA he knew 20 of the victims personally. Many in the hall quietly wept as candles were lit by representatives of all four faiths.
