logo
Gaurav Taneja Lauds Air India Pilots For Refusing Unsafe Flights: 'DGCA Should Step In'

Gaurav Taneja Lauds Air India Pilots For Refusing Unsafe Flights: 'DGCA Should Step In'

News187 hours ago

Last Updated:
It should be noted that Gaurav Taneja is also a former pilot, who has been vocal with regard to aviation safety issues.
YouTuber Gaurav Taneja aka Flying Beast, took to his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Wednesday and praised Air India pilots who are now refusing to fly aircraft, which are considered unsafe. Gaurav talked about the precautionary steps after the plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 and urged the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to step in.
'Lot of Air India flights getting cancelled recently due to technical snags, after the 12th June accident. Pilots hopefully have stopped accepting the aircraft's with so many MEL's each flight. It increases their workload immensely," the YouTuber wrote.
'Everyone knows that the 'Red" airline is being dispatched on minimum equipment's. 90+ MEL's every flight. DGCA should step in and stop this," he added.
Lot of Air India flight getting cancelled recently due to technical snags, after the 12th June accident..Pilots hopefully have stopped accepting the aircraft's with so many MEL's each flight. It increases their workload immensely..Everyone knows that the 'Red" airline is…— Gaurav Taneja (@flyingbeast320) June 17, 2025
It should be noted that Gaurav Taneja is also a former pilot who has been vocal with regard to aviation safety issues. He flew for IndiGo Airlines before pursuing a career in social media. His YouTube channel, '74th Squadron," offers aviation-related content, including pilot lifestyle, industry issues, and behind-the-scenes stories.
For the unversed, on June 12, Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (VT-ANB), crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The incident resulted in the death of 241 out of the 242 people on board, leaving only one survivor.
Air India confirmed the accident in an official statement on X and wrote, 'UPDATE: Air India confirms that flight AI171, operating from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025, was involved in an accident. The 12-year-old Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off. We regret to inform that, of the 242 aboard, there are 241 confirmed fatalities. The sole survivor is being treated in a hospital."
After the incident, several of Air India's flights have been diverted or cancelled.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

New aviation rules to demolish obstructions near airports after Air India crash
New aviation rules to demolish obstructions near airports after Air India crash

India Today

time35 minutes ago

  • India Today

New aviation rules to demolish obstructions near airports after Air India crash

In the aftermath of the Air India crash, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has released new draft rules to tighten control over structures that pose risks to aircraft draft, titled Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 2025, was issued on June 18 and will come into force once published in the Official rules seek to empower authorities to act swiftly against buildings and trees that violate height restrictions in notified aerodrome zones. These measures are being seen as a direct move to prevent future accidents caused by flight path Under the draft, any structure found violating the prescribed height limits may be served a notice by the officer-in-charge of an aerodrome. Owners must submit detailed information - including structure dimensions and site plans - within sixty days. Failure to comply could result in enforcement action, including demolition or height the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) or an authorised officer confirms a violation, they may issue an order directing the owner to demolish the structure or cut the tree. The order must be complied with within sixty days. A second sixty-day extension may be granted only on valid physical verification, officers are empowered to enter the premises during daylight hours after informing the owner. In cases of non-cooperation, officers may proceed based on available information and refer the matter to the the event of non-compliance, the officer-in-charge must report the case to the District Collector, who is required to carry out the demolition or trimming as per the order. This process will follow the same procedure used for removing unauthorised have the right to appeal orders with the First or Second Appellate Officer. Appeals must be filed in the prescribed form along with supporting documents and a fee of Rs 1,000. However, only those who comply with the orders may claim compensation under section 22 of the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024. Any new non-compliant structures built after the notification will not be eligible for Civil Aviation Ministry has invited objections or suggestions from the public within twenty days of the notification's publication. Responses may be sent to the Director-General of Civil Watch

"Very sorry, all we can do is to grieve with the families": Air India Chairman after AI171 crash
"Very sorry, all we can do is to grieve with the families": Air India Chairman after AI171 crash

India Gazette

timean hour ago

  • India Gazette

"Very sorry, all we can do is to grieve with the families": Air India Chairman after AI171 crash

New Delhi [India], June 18 (ANI): Air India and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Wednesday publicly expressed his sorrow over the London-bound Air India flight crash on June 12, finally breaking his silence after the tragedy during an interview with Group Editor-in-Chief of Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, Navika Kumar. During the interview, Chandrasekaran said that the airline was doing everything possible to support the victims' families and that there were no words to console the grieving families, but he pledged that the company would stand with them now and in the future as well. 'It is an extremely difficult situation where I have no words to console any of the families of those who died. I deeply regret that this accident happened in a Tata-run airline. And I feel very sorry. All we can do is to be with the families at this time, grieve with them and we will do everything to support them at this hour and beyond,' the Tata Sons Chairman stated. Chandrasekaran emphasised that the ill-fated aircraft had a clean track record with no prior technical red flags and clarified that the right engine had been newly installed in March 2025 and the left engine was scheduled for maintenance only in December, with both pilots being highly experienced and well-respected professionals. He urged against speculation and stressed that investigations were underway by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and the DGCA, and that preliminary findings would likely be available in about a month. Until then, he said, it was not appropriate to jump to conclusions based on rumours. 'There are speculations about human error, speculations about airlines, speculations about engines, maintenance, and all kinds,' Chandrasekaran said. 'There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories. But the fact that I know so far is that this particular aircraft, this specific tail, AI-171 has a clean history. As for the engines, the right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and is due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. Both engine histories are clean. Both pilots were exceptional. Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience; the first officer, Clive (Kundar), had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience. What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that.' 'These are different from safety issues. If there is a safety issue, there is no way the DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will allow us to fly. And with respect to this specific aircraft, what I have seen is what I have told you,' he added. During the interview with Group Editor in Chief of Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, Navika Kumar, Chandrasekaran addressed concerns regarding the airline's operational history and denied any link between Turkish Technic and the maintenance of Air India's 787 Dreamliners. He said that all such aircraft are maintained either by AI Engineering Services Limited or Singapore's SIA Engineering Company, and also refuted claims made by former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, who alleged that Singapore Airlines held significant operational control. Chandrasekaran said that CEO Campbell Wilson had resigned from Singapore Airlines before taking over at Air India, and at the time of his appointment, Tata owned 100 per cent of the airline. 'None of them (the 33 Dreamliners) are maintained by Turkish Technic. Most of them are maintained by AIESL (AI Engineering Services Limited) or SIA Engineering Company (whose parent organisation is Singapore Airlines),' he stated. 'Singapore Airlines has been a great partner. And since we took over, they have helped us in many dimensions. Even some of the safety procedures, the best processes, we have taken from Singapore Airlines. We have taken it from Vistara, and many of the processes where we needed best-in-class benchmarks, they have helped us. They have reached out; even at this time, their CEO is in constant touch with me. Whether it is customer experience or any other process, they are always available. They have been offering all the help they can,' he further noted in response to claims made by Patel. 'No, the CEO is not a nominee of Singapore Airlines,' he added. 'In fact, when the CEO was hired by me, he had to quit Singapore Airlines and join Air India as an employee. And at that time, Singapore Airlines did not have a stake. We owned 100 per cent of Air India. And then when the Vistara merger happened with Singapore Airlines, with Air India, then Singapore Airlines got their 25 per cent stake. So he's not a nominee of Singapore Airlines.' '787s were also bought by Air India in 2013. And I think Mr Patel was there at that time. I don't know when he was the minister. But these are things that happened almost 13 years ago,' he further stated. Responding to criticism about recent delays and flight cancellations, Chandrasekaran explained that these were caused by a combination of mandatory DGCA safety inspections, diversions due to Middle East airspace closures, and routine technical issues discovered during line checks. He said that 24 of the 33 Dreamliners had already completed the required inspections. Acknowledging that communication with passengers had been lacking, he admitted the airline needed to improve and confirmed a strategic communications team had been put in place recently to handle such crises more efficiently. 'There are more than 1100 flights that we fly every day. And in the last six days, there have been in general, anywhere from five to 16 or 18 flights, depending on the day, that have been cancelled. Second, what has happened in this period of six days, there are three things at work. The first thing is, we have had to go through the DGCA checks. The moment the accident happened on the 12th, DGCA mandated additional checks to be done on all the 787s. So, we have had to ground many 787s and as a result, we are short of aircraft and we have to cancel those flights. That is one cause. 24 of the 33 aircraft have gone through checks. The second reason is that because of the Iran conflict, the airspace there has got closed. Flights, therefore, have had to be diverted. When the flights are diverted, many of the flights get cancelled. The third is technical issues. And when we do, when we take off and land in any destination, you must know that we will be doing line checks. And every now and then, it is common for the line checks to find some spare part to be changed, for instance. This is not the case on every flight, but it does happen,' the Chairman said. 'We've got to do a better job at communication. We have put a strategic communications team in the last three days.' Chandrasekaran also commented on the recent scrutiny Boeing has faced over the safety of its Dreamliner aircraft and said that he was aware of whistleblower concerns in the US but insisted that Air India's Dreamliners had passed internal inspections without any warnings. He added that he had personally spoken to senior leadership at both Boeing and GE to double-check the safety and performance of the aircraft and engines in their fleet. 'These are things that are being dealt with by investigative agencies in the US, but overall 787s have been flying for a very long time. We already had 27 787s by the time we bought Air India. And we have not had any red flags in our checks,' he stated. 'I did connect with both Boeing and GE at the highest levels. Parallel to the DGCA checks that we have gone through, I have asked them to check and tell us if there have been issues with any of the aircraft or engines.' When questioned about the absence of Air India officials at the funerals of crew members, Chandrasekaran denied the allegations and clarified that senior executives, including the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Human Resources Officer, had been present at various locations and stated that the company had coordinated the presence of its top personnel across all affected regions and that it would continue to maintain close contact with every victim's family. He emphasised that this was not being done for publicity but out of responsibility and respect. 'That is not true. We discussed it at length on the day before and who should go for the rights for Captain Sabharwal. The chief operating officer of Air India was there, the CHR was there and few more people were there at different levels. And we as a group will do multiple things. It is not about just being visible in one location. There will be a senior person who will be there in all the locations whether it is our crew member or non-crew member. That is why we have created this whole organisation. Some will be in Mumbai, some will be in Gujarat, some will be in other parts of India. But I don't want to say it for any publicity but we will definitely visit all the families. All the top people will visit all the families,' he added. Chandrasekaran also announced plans to establish an AI171 trust dedicated to supporting the victims' families in the long term and said the trust would not only address financial needs but would also provide broader support as required and reiterated that the focus was on standing by the families in meaningful ways and building a permanent structure to ensure that they are not forgotten. 'So, there are structures we want to put in place. We wish to create an AI 171 trust which will be available to them to look after. But it is not just about financial needs, but other needs too. We have to think through and create the trust and other functioning infrastructure so that we can be with these families,' he stated. (ANI)

Shaken after plane crash on son's hostel, PI finds him safe at home
Shaken after plane crash on son's hostel, PI finds him safe at home

Time of India

timean hour ago

  • Time of India

Shaken after plane crash on son's hostel, PI finds him safe at home

Ahmedabad: Meghaninagar police inspector D B Basiya was among the first responders to the devastating AI 171 plane crash. What awaited him at the crash site wasn't just a scene of destruction, it was deeply personal. As the debris of the downed aircraft smouldered, Basiya stood frozen. The tail of the plane had come crashing down on the mess hall of the medical college hostel — the very place where his son Rajat, a second-year MBBS student, usually had his meals. Unaware that his son had stayed home that day, the father in uniform feared the worst. Just a day before the crash, Rajat had returned home briefly to get his clothes washed and refill snacks — a routine visit. He had told his parents he would return to the hostel on June 12. "When I left for duty o June 12, Rajat told me he would leave soon for the hostel," said Basiya, recalling that morning. "When I reached the site and saw the mess destroyed, I couldn't speak." Even as a father's heart trembled, the officer in him acted. He coordinated with the fire brigade, supported volunteers, and remained outwardly composed — all the while thinking of son's safety. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like One of the Most Successful Investors of All Time, Warren Buffett, Recommends: 5 Books for Turning... Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Click Here Undo Gathering courage, he called his wife. Relief washed over him when she said Rajat had delayed his return. "He decided to spend more time with us since his exams were a few days away," Basiya said. Later, a video call confirmed what his heart had desperately hoped — Rajat was home, safe, sitting with his mother. While Rajat had escaped the tragedy, his friends and fellow students had not been as fortunate. "Some of the victims were the same age as my son," said Basiya. That night, Basiya continued his duty — at the Civil Hospital, surrounded by the aftermath of a crash that nearly took his own child. Some of his son's friends, shaken, stayed at their home — the only comfort they had in a night that changed many lives forever.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store