Latest news with #Air India
News24
3 hours ago
- Business
- News24
Air India crash audit finds 51 safety lapses, ‘lack of accountability' in deadly crash
Handout/Central Industrial Security Force (CISF)/AFP India's aviation watchdog found 51 safety lapses at Air India in its July audit, including lack of adequate training for some pilots, use of unapproved simulators and a poor rostering system, according to a government report seen by Reuters. The annual audit was not related to the deadly Boeing 787 crash in June that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad, but its findings come as the airline faces renewed scrutiny after the accident. The Tata Group-owned airline is already facing warning notices for running planes without checking emergency equipment, not changing engine parts in time and forging records, along with other lapses related to crew fatigue management. The 11-page confidential audit report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) noted seven 'Level I' significant breaches which need to be fixed by 30 July, and 44 other non-compliances classified which need to be resolved by 23 August. Officials said they found 'recurrent training gaps' for some unspecified Boeing 787 and 777 pilots, saying they had not completed their monitoring duties - where they don't fly but observe functioning of instruments in the cockpit - ahead of mandatory periodic evaluations. Air India's fleet includes 34 Boeing 787s and 23 Boeing 777s, according to Flightradar24 website. Raju Shinde/Hindustan Times via Getty Images Flagging operational and safety risks, officials wrote in their report that Air India did not do 'proper route assessments' for some so-called Category C airports - which may have challenging layouts or terrain - and conducted training for such airfields with simulators that did not meet qualification standards. 'This may account to non-consideration of safety risks during approaches to challenging airports,' the DGCA audit report said. In a statement to Reuters, Air India said it was 'fully transparent' during the audit. It added it would 'submit our response to the regulator within the stipulated time frame, along with the details of the corrective actions'. A preliminary report into the June crash found that the fuel control switches were flipped almost simultaneously after take-off and there was pilot confusion in the cockpit. One pilot asked the other why he cut off the fuel and the other responded that he hadn't done so, the report said. The DGCA has often flagged concerns about Air India pilots breaching the limits of their flight-duty periods, and the audit report said an AI-787 Milan-New Delhi flight last month exceeded the limit by two hours and 18 minutes, calling it a 'Level I' non-compliance. The audit was conducted by 10 DGCA inspectors, and included another four auditors. It also criticised the airline's rostering system, which it said 'doesn't give a hard alert' if a minimum number of crew members were not being deployed on a flight, adding that at least four international flights had flown with insufficient cabin crew. Tata acquired Air India from the government in 2022. While it has aggressively expanded its international network, it faces persistent complaints from passengers, who often take to social media to show soiled seats, broken armrests, non-operational entertainment systems and dirty cabin areas. Reuters reported last week that Air India's senior executives, including the airline's director of flight operations and its director of training, were sent notices on 23 July flagging 29 'systemic' lapses, pulling up the airline for ignoring 'repeated' warnings. Air India has said it will respond to the regulator. The audit report noted that 'door checks and equipment checks' showed inconsistency with procedures and there were gaps in training documentation. Further, it said no chief pilots were assigned for Airbus A320 and A350 fleet. 'This results in a lack of accountability, and effective monitoring of flight operations for these aircraft types,' the report said. In 2024, authorities warned or fined airlines in 23 instances for safety violations, with 11 involving the Air India Group. The biggest fine was $127 000 on Air India for 'insufficient oxygen on board' during some international flights.
France 24
6 days ago
- Business
- France 24
Thailand F-16 jet bombs Cambodian targets as border clash escalates
01:49 24/07/2025 Thailand and Cambodia clash with jets and rockets in deadly border row Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 Thailand : Cambodian attacks kill at least 11 people as conflict escalates Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 Thailand and Cambodia border closed after weeks of tensions Asia / Pacific 24/07/2025 Xi urges deeper China-EU trust as Brussels calls for 'real solutions' Asia / Pacific 22/07/2025 Bangladesh plane crash kills at least 27, including 25 children Asia / Pacific 20/07/2025 Dozens dead after Ha Long Bay tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam Asia / Pacific 20/07/2025 Typhoon Wipha batters Honk Kong and brings disruptions Asia / Pacific 17/07/2025 Taipei holds annual air raid drill to prepare for Chinese attack Asia / Pacific 15/07/2025 India orders airlines to inspect certain Boeing models after Air India crash Asia / Pacific
France 24
6 days ago
- France 24
Xi urges deeper China-EU trust as Brussels calls for 'real solutions'
03:11 22/07/2025 Bangladesh plane crash kills at least 27, including 25 children Asia / Pacific 20/07/2025 Dozens dead after Ha Long Bay tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam Asia / Pacific 20/07/2025 Typhoon Wipha batters Honk Kong and brings disruptions Asia / Pacific 17/07/2025 Taipei holds annual air raid drill to prepare for Chinese attack Asia / Pacific 15/07/2025 India orders airlines to inspect certain Boeing models after Air India crash Asia / Pacific 13/07/2025 Taiwan tightens security after spy scandals, prompting rights concerns Asia / Pacific 12/07/2025 Investigation into Air India crash finds engines starved of fuel Asia / Pacific 12/07/2025 German backpacker found alive after 12 days missing in Western Australian Asia / Pacific 11/07/2025 Historian Audrey Truschke retraces 5,000 years of Indian history Asia / Pacific
RNZ News
7 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Some Air India victims' families in UK were sent wrong remains, lawyer says
By Sana Noor Haq , CNN All but one of 242 passengers and crew members were killed on June 12. Photo: AFP / Middle East Images / Basit Zargar Authorities in India sent the wrong remains to some British families whose loved ones were killed in a plane crash last month , their lawyer has claimed, as relatives reckoned with the human cost of the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade. At least two UK nationals were discovered to have been misidentified after they were repatriated, according to James Healy-Pratt, an international aviation lawyer who is representing some of the British relatives of victims. In one case, a coroner in London discovered that the DNA of several bodies had been co-mingled in one of the caskets, Healy-Pratt told UK news agency PA Media. Dr Fiona Shaw "picked up DNA anomalies" when the bodies were first repatriated, Healy-Pratt said. "My understanding was that the co-mingling was at the very beginning, which alerted Dr Wilcox to the fact that she had to be 100% assiduous about checking the identification of the incoming remains," the lawyer added. "She was then able to determine that one particular loved one was not at all who the family thought they were," said Healy-Pratt. All but one of 242 passengers and crew members were killed on June 12, after an Air India jet lost momentum and hurtled into a densely populated neighborhood in Ahmedabad, western India. The London-bound aircraft had barely left the runway of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before it spun out of control and nosedived into the BJ Medical College and Hospital hostel - also killing 19 people on the ground. Authorities have not yet released the definitive cause of the crash, but a preliminary report suggested that the fuel control switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had been flipped , depriving the engines of power. In an audio recording from the black box, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he flipped the switches, according to the assessment by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published last week. The other pilot responds that he did not. Moments later, the switches were flipped to turn the fuel supply back on. Both engines relit and one began to "progress to recovery," but it was too late to halt the plane's tumultuous descent. Of those killed on board, at least 169 were Indian nationals, seven were Portuguese and one was from Canada. The only survivor was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh , one of 53 UK passengers that day who told local media that he escaped by clinging onto a small space near the door by his seat. Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the only survivor of the Air India crash. Photo: Narendra Modi / YouTube / AFP The relatives of three victims said they were "deeply troubled" by the revelations on Wednesday, calling on authorities to act with "care, co-ordination and respect." "Recent developments have only confirmed what many feared: that serious mistakes may have been made, and that the dignity and rights of victims and their families were not safeguarded as they should have been," they said in a statement. The relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa added that while they are "confident" they received the "correct bodies" - they were still "deeply troubled by what this means for other families who may still be searching for certainty and closure." "This isn't just a personal tragedy; it is a collective one." India's foreign ministry had been "working closely with the UK side from the moment these concerns and issues" were raised, according to a spokesperson. Authorities conducted identification of victims using "established protocols and technical requirements," foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X on Wednesday. "All mortal remains were handled with the utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased," Jaiswal added. "We are continuing to work with the UK authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue." The case came on the heels of a meeting in London between India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, as the two nations sign a landmark free trade agreement. Healy-Pratt, who is demanding "financial justice" for the families, said he believes the allegations will be on the agenda for the talks this week. - CNN
CTV News
7 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Some Air India victims' families in U.K. were sent wrong remains, lawyer says
A crane lifts the tail of the Air India plane, which crashed on Thursday, from the roof of a building in Ahmedabad, India, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki) Authorities in India sent the wrong remains to some British families whose loved ones were killed in a plane crash last month, their lawyer has claimed, as relatives reckoned with the human cost of the world's deadliest aviation accident in a decade. At least two U.K. nationals were discovered to have been misidentified after they were repatriated, according to James Healy-Pratt, an international aviation lawyer who is representing some of the British relatives of victims. In one case, a coroner in London discovered that the DNA of several bodies had been co-mingled in one of the caskets, Healy-Pratt told U.K. news agency PA Media. Dr Fiona Shaw 'picked up DNA anomalies' when the bodies were first repatriated, Healy-Pratt said. 'My understanding was that the co-mingling was at the very beginning, which alerted Dr Wilcox to the fact that she had to be 100% assiduous about checking the identification of the incoming remains,' the lawyer added. 'She was then able to determine that one particular loved one was not at all who the family thought they were,' said Healy-Pratt. All but one of 242 passengers and crew members were killed on June 12, after an Air India jet lost momentum and hurtled into a densely populated neighborhood in Ahmedabad, western India. The London-bound aircraft had barely left the runway of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport before it spun out of control and nosedived into the BJ Medical College and Hospital hostel – also killing 19 people on the ground. Authorities have not yet released the definitive cause of the crash, but a preliminary report suggested that the fuel control switches in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had been flipped, depriving the engines of power. In an audio recording from the black box, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why he flipped the switches, according to the assessment by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau published last week. The other pilot responds that he did not. Moments later, the switches were flipped to turn the fuel supply back on. Both engines relit and one began to 'progress to recovery,' but it was too late to halt the plane's tumultuous descent. Of those killed on board, at least 169 were Indian nationals, seven were Portuguese and one was from Canada. The only survivor was Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, one of 53 U.K. passengers that day who told local media that he escaped by clinging onto a small space near the door by his seat. 'Deeply troubled' The relatives of three victims said they were 'deeply troubled' by the revelations on Wednesday, calling on authorities to act with 'care, co-ordination and respect.' 'Recent developments have only confirmed what many feared: that serious mistakes may have been made, and that the dignity and rights of victims and their families were not safeguarded as they should have been,' they said in a statement. The relatives of Akeel Nanabawa, his wife Hannaa Vorajee and their four-year-old daughter Sara Nanabawa added that while they are 'confident' they received the 'correct bodies' - they were still 'deeply troubled by what this means for other families who may still be searching for certainty and closure.' 'This isn't just a personal tragedy; it is a collective one.' India's foreign ministry had been 'working closely with the U.K. side from the moment these concerns and issues' were raised, according to a spokesperson. Authorities conducted identification of victims using 'established protocols and technical requirements,' foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X on Wednesday. 'All mortal remains were handled with the utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased,' Jaiswal added. 'We are continuing to work with the U.K. authorities on addressing any concerns related to this issue.' The case came on the heels of a meeting in London between India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, as the two nations sign a landmark free trade agreement. Healy-Pratt, who is demanding 'financial justice' for the families, said he believes the allegations will be on the agenda for the talks this week.
