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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Ahmedabad plane crash: ‘Established protocols' followed for identifying victims, says India after U.K. media report on families receiving wrong bodies
The Indian government is working closely with U.K. authorities to 'address concerns' raised by an aviation lawyer about families bereaved after the June 12 Ahmedabad Air India crash, receiving wrongly identified last remains, including in one case where remains of more than one person were placed in the same casket. British newspaper Daily Mail reported that relatives of one victim had to abandon funeral plans after being informed that their coffin contained the body of an unknown passenger. Also Read | Families of 47 victims of Air India 171 crash victims receive interim payout; lawyers warn against forgoing rights for full compensation In another case, the 'commingled' remains of more than one person killed in the crash were mistakenly placed in the same casket and had to be separated before the burial could go ahead. 'In the wake of the tragic crash, the concerned authorities had carried our identification of victims as per established protocols and technical requirements. All mortal remains were handled with utmost professionalism and with due regard for the dignity of the deceased. We are continuing to work with the U.K. authorities on addressing any concerns related to the issue,' Randhir Jaiswal, Spokesperson of Ministry of External Affairs posted on X. Daily Mail quoted James Healy-Pratt, an aviation lawyer representing many of the British families say saying, 'some have got the wrong remains and they are clearly distraught over this. It has been going on for a couple of weeks [and] I think these families deserve an explanation.' Also Read | Air India Ahmedabad plane crash victims: Tales of grief and loss The mix up emerged when the Inner West London coroner Dr. Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the repatriated Britons' identities by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families, the Daily Mail reported. There were 260 lives lost in the Boeing 787-8 crash. 241 out of the 242 aboard the flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick were killed 32 seconds after take off. These included 181 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian.
News18
5 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
CM Sawant urges Centre to facilitate resumption of Goa-Gatwick Air India flight
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Panaji, Jul 23 (PTI) Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu to facilitate the resumption of Air India's Goa-Gatwick flight, saying many people from the state are being inconvenienced. Sawant had assured the Goa legislative assembly on Monday that he would take up the matter concerning the resumption of the flight, between the coastal state and the UK, with the Centre. In an email, a copy of which is with PTI, Sawant said that it is learnt that the Goa-Gatwick flight operated by Air India was suspended in June 2025, after the Ahmadabad plane crash. On June 12, Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel complex shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad. The aviation disaster killed 241 out of 242 people onboard and 19 individuals on the ground. 'The resumption was likely to be with effect from July 15, 2025. Air India has not begun the services on this route," Sawant wrote. 'Many Goans travel on this route for employment purposes. Suspension of service has caused a lot of inconvenience to Goans travelling to and fro from London," he said. The CM has requested the Union minister to take up the matter with Air India and facilitate early resumption of the flight service, according to the email. On Monday, Calangute MLA Michael Lobo had raised the issue on the floor of the House, claiming that it was the only flight that directly brought Goans from London to the state. PTI RPS NR view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 15:30 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
5 hours ago
- News18
British Families Of Air India Crash Victims Allege They Received Wrong Bodies: Report
Last Updated: Some families of British victims of the Air India crash reportedly received wrongly identified remains. However, no similar repatriation errors were reported by families in India. Families of British Air India crash victims were sent wrong bodies, while some received commingled remnants of more than one person killed in the June 12 incident, the Daily Mail has claimed, even though no such blunder was reported in India. According to the report, some families have claimed the bodies of their loved ones were wrongly identified before being flown to their country. In some cases, families also received commingled remnants of more than one person, which had to be separated before the internment could go ahead. Two instances of mistaken identity have so far come to light, according to the report. It claimed the revelation was made after Inner West London coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox sought to verify the identities of the repatriated Britons by matching their DNA with samples provided by the families. Quoting aviation lawyer James Healy-Pratt, who represents many of the British families, the report stated that at least 12 of the British victims of the Air India crash were repatriated. Pratt told the publication that his team was waiting for a formal response from Air India and its emergency response contractors, Kenyons International Emergency Services, on the same. Air India flight AI 171, operated with Boeing 787-8, en route to London Gatwick, crashed soon after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 passengers onboard and another 19 on the ground. All victims were identified, and their bodies were handed over to the families for the last rites. On Tuesday, Air India said it has completed the 'precautionary" inspection of the locking mechanism of the fuel control switch (FCS) on its Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft fleet, and no issues were found. Aviation safety regulator DGCA last week directed airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes by July 21 after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) said in its preliminary report that fuel switches were cut off before the Air India plane crash last month. In its preliminary report on the Boeing 787-8 crash, AAIB said the fuel supply to both engines of the plane was cut off within a gap of one second, causing confusion in the cockpit soon after takeoff. Boeing 787s are part of Air India's fleet, while B737s are operated by its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express. Besides these, other domestic carriers, IndiGo, Spicejet and Akasa, also have these types of aircraft in their operations. With this, the two airlines, Air India and Air India Express, have complied with the directives of the DGCA issued on July 14, Air India said in the statement. In 2018, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s. It was mentioned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB), but there was no airworthiness directive, indicating that the issue was not a safety concern. Air India has a total of 33 wide-body Boeing 787s, while Air India Express has around 75 narrow-body 737s. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Irish Independent
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Indian officials condemn Western media over Air India plane crash reports
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu expressed full confidence in India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe into the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad that killed 260 people, making it the deadliest Indian aviation disaster in four decades. The comments come ahead of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's trip to the UK. He will be in London today and tomorrow where he is slated to meet his British counterpart, Keir Starmer. The aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel in a residential area of Ahmedabad. Among the dead, 52 were British nationals. The sole survivor was a British man, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh. 'AAIB has made an appeal to all, especially western media houses, which may have a vested interest in the kind of articles they are trying to publish. I believe in AAIB. I believe in the work that they are doing,' he said, according to the Indian Express. The minister commended the AAIB for decoding the aircraft's black box domestically, describing it as a 'huge success', as previous incidents typically required the data to be sent abroad for analysis. Mr Kinjarapu's remarks came days after the AAIB publicly urged both the media and the public to 'refrain from spreading premature narratives' about the crash. Its director general, GVG Yugandhar, noted that the preliminary report aimed only to present early findings and did not apportion blame. He also criticised 'irresponsible' reporting by international media, accusing them of selectively using unverified information to suggest pilot error. The preliminary report, released on July 12, revealed that both fuel control switches of the Boeing 787-8's engines moved from 'run' to 'cut off' within one second, moments after take-off, leading to an immediate loss of power. The cockpit voice recorder captured one pilot asking the other why the fuel was cut off, to which the second replied that he had not done so. The document does not state who, if anyone, moved the switches, using the neutral term 'transitioned' and offering no conclusions on intent or fault. It also notes no technical fault in the aircraft. However, some international reports implied pilot error, prompting backlash from India's aviation fraternity.
India.com
a day ago
- Business
- India.com
Month after plane crash, Air India seeks Rs 17277890000 from…, Ratan Tata company decides to…
Month after plane crash, Air India seeks Rs 17277890000 from…, Ratan Tata company decides to… After Air India flight AI 171, operated with Boeing 787-8 crashed after takeoff on June 12, the airline is going to buy another fleet of Boeing. By Anirudha Yerunkar Edited by Anirudha Yerunkar Advertisement Air India is in talks to secure a $200 million bank loan through its GIFT City-based subsidiary, AI Fleet Services IFSC Ltd., to purchase a fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft from a US-based leasing company, according to an Economic Times report. Air India To Buy Boeing 777 After persistent supply chain challenges and delivery delays, Air India wants to improve its wide-body fleet, particularly for long-haul India-US routes. The loan will help Air India reduce the capacity gap until its new aircraft orders begin arriving. Advertisement === Media reports citing sources revealed that discussions around the funding, which began earlier this year, had temporarily slowed after the crash of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad last month, but talks have again resumed. The terms of the loan are still being finalized and could be linked to the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Air India is already operating the six Boeing 777 aircraft and now wants to purchase, some of which are 11 to 13 years old, as per data from Flightradar24. These aircraft play a critical role in maintaining service on high-demand transcontinental routes. Advertisement === Air India's Earlier Orders For Boeing Since the Tata Group acquired the airline in January 2022, Air India has placed orders for 570 new aircraft from Airbus and Boeing. To speedup fleet expansion, the airline is also considering acquiring 50 Boeing 737 Max jets that were originally intended for Chinese carriers. Through its GIFT City-registered entity, Air India handles aircraft purchases and leases for both its full-service operations under the Air India brand and budget carrier Air India Express. The proposed loan will support the group's broader goal of scaling up operations and improving global connectivity.
