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South China Morning Post
a day ago
- General
- South China Morning Post
Air India crash in Ahmedabad makes 2025 deadliest aviation year in a decade
The crash of Air India Flight 171 has turned 2025 into one of the deadliest years in the past decade for civil aviation. There were 242 people aboard the Boeing 787, according to the airline, when the plane went down in a fireball on Thursday soon after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The accident is likely to produce more fatalities, given that it crashed into a residential area. There is only one known survivor. Globally, the number of civil aviation fatalities has reached more than 460 in 2025, according to Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. The average over the past decade is 284 based on the firm's methodology. Commercial aviation safety reached a high-water mark in 2023, when industry groups said there were no fatal crashes. Since then, a number of high-profile incidents have grabbed headlines. The deadliest years for civil aviation in the past decade were 2018 and 2015, with more than 500 fatalities each, based on Jacdec's figures. Richter urged the media not to jump to conclusions while investigators search for the cause of the Air India crash. 'And I want to emphasise the bigger picture here,' Richter said. 'Air travel is and remains the safest way of going from one place to another.' Thursday's Air India crash is on track to become the worst commercial airline disaster since MH17 in 2014. The Malaysian Airlines flight, shot down over Ukraine, left 298 people dead, according to the Aviation Safety Network, which tracks fatal crashes. Aeroplane crash in Canada highlights importance of seat belt safety The lone survivor As Air India Flight AI171 descended towards its doom on Thursday, Ramesh Vishwaskumar sat in the first row of economy class – headed for some of the most harrowing and luckiest moments of his life. After the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a densely populated district of the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Vishwaskumar managed to get out of the plane. He was injured, but alive. All 241 others on board had perished. A video that has since gone viral on social media shows a slightly bloodied man walking near the crash site, surrounded by an incredulous crowd. 'Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise,' Vishwaskumar told local reporters, according to the Hindustan Times newspaper. 'There were dead bodies around me. I got scared. I got up and ran. There were pieces of the plane everywhere.' Media outlets identified him as a UK citizen aged 40, from the city of Leicester. It is a tale of survival that stands out in an aircraft accident that ranks as the worst disaster in civil aviation in more than a decade. The cause of the crash, which killed scores more on the ground as the fully fuelled aircraft tore into buildings and exploded into flames, remains unknown. Members of the local community stand outside the family home of Ramesh Viswashkumar in Leicester, Britain. Viswashkumar is the lone survivor of the London-bound Air India aircraft crash in Ahmedabad, India. Photo: Reuters What went wrong? The Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliner appeared to not achieve sufficient thrust as it lumbered down nearly the full length of a 3,352-metre (11,000-foot) runway, a distance that should have been more than enough to take off, said Bob Mann, head of aviation consultant RW Mann & Co. That could stem from a misconfiguration of the plane before take-off or incorrect weight data entered into the plane's computer system that determines how much power is needed to get off the ground, he said. Mann cautioned that his views were unofficial and not corroborated by data or cockpit voice recorders, which have yet to be recovered from the site. The 787's landing gear was never retracted, which normally occurs just after take-off, said Jeff Guzzetti, a former accident investigation chief for the US Federal Aviation Administration. Investigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board and FAA will travel to India to assist with that government's investigation of the crash. Additional clues should emerge when authorities recover the plane's flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder, the so-called black boxes containing key information about what was happening to aeroplane systems and pilots in the flight's final moments.
South China Morning Post
2 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Air India plane crash makes 2025 deadliest for air travel in years
The crash of Air India Flight 171 has turned 2025 into one of the deadliest years in the past decade for civil aviation. There were 242 people aboard the Boeing 787, according to the airline, when the plane went down in a fireball on Thursday soon after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The accident is likely to produce more fatalities given that it crashed into a residential area. There is only one known survivor. Globally, the number of civil aviation fatalities has reached more than 460 in 2025, according to Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. The average over the past decade is 284 based on the firm's methodology. 'This year still has more than six months to go, so this could be concerning if this rate of fatal accidents would go on,' Richter said. Commercial aviation safety reached a high-water mark in 2023, when industry groups said there were no fatal crashes. Since then, a number of high-profile incidents have grabbed headlines. 02:40 Air India plane bound for London crashes moments after take off in Ahmedabad Air India plane bound for London crashes moments after take off in Ahmedabad In January, American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with an army helicopter near Washington, in one of the deadliest US civil aviation disasters in decades. Less than a month later, a Delta Air Lines jet flipped over while landing in Toronto, Canada.
Mint
2 days ago
- General
- Mint
Air India crash makes 2025 deadliest for air travel in years
The crash of Air India Flight 171 has turned 2025 into one of the deadliest years in the past decade for civil aviation. There were 242 people aboard the Boeing Co. 787 jetliner, according to the airline, when the plane went down in a fireball Thursday shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The accident is likely to produce more fatalities given it crashed into a residential area. Globally, the number of civil aviation fatalities has reached more than 460 in 2025, according to Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. The average over the past decade is 284 based on the firm's methodology. 'This year still has more than six months to go, so this could be concerning if this rate of fatal accidents would go on,' Richter said. Commercial-aviation safety reached a high-water mark in 2023, when industry groups said there were no fatal crashes. Since then, a number of high-profile incidents have grabbed headlines. In January, American Airlines Group Inc. Flight 5342 collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, in one of the deadliest US civil aviation disasters in decades. Less than a month later, a Delta Air Lines Inc. jet flipped over while landing in Toronto. While no one died in the second mishap, they raised new questions with the flying public about whether air travel was safe. Thursday's Air India crash is on track to become the worst commercial airline disaster since MH17 in 2014. The Malaysian Airlines flight, shot down over Ukraine, left 298 people dead, according to Aviation Safety Network, which tracks fatal crashes. The deadliest years for civil aviation in the past decade were in 2018 and 2015, with more than 500 fatalities each, based on Jacdec's figures. The group tracks aircraft with at least 19 seats, or weighing 5.7 tons. Richter cautioned that most of the recent accidents are still under investigation, the numbers are within norms and that airplane crashes 'happen mostly totally at random without a comparability to each other.' He urged media not to jump to conclusions while investigators search for the cause of the Air India crash. 'And I want to emphasize the bigger picture here,' Richter said. 'Air travel is and remains the safest way of going from one place to another.'
Hindustan Times
2 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India crash pushes 2025 toward aviation's deadliest year in past 10 years
The crash of Air India Flight 171 marked a tragic moment for global aviation in 2025, making it one of the deadliest years in recent memory. The Boeing 787, carrying 242 people, went down in a fiery explosion shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, crashing into a densely populated residential area and raising fears of significant casualties on the ground. Also Read: Ahmedabad plane crash LIVE: Many feared killed in Air India crash, says Amit Shah So far in 2025, global civil aviation fatalities have surpassed 460, significantly exceeding the decade-long average of 284, according to Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of German aviation safety firm Jacdec. The sharp rise underscores growing concerns about flight safety in what is shaping up to be one of the most dangerous years for commercial air travel in recent history. He said, 'This year still has more than six months to go, so this could be concerning if this rate of fatal accidents would go on,' as reported by Bloomberg. After a record year in 2023 with no fatal commercial aviation crashes, the industry has faced a troubling reversal. A series of high-profile incidents in 2025 — including the deadly collision of American Airlines Flight 5342 with a military helicopter near Washington and a Delta Air Lines jet flipping on landing in Toronto — have reignited public concern about the safety of air travel, even in cases where there were no fatalities. And now the most recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad has been recorded as the deadliest air disaster since the MH17 tragedy in 2017. One of the most devastating aviation tragedies in recent history was the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over Ukraine, which claimed the lives of all 298 people on board, according to the Aviation Safety Network. Also Read: Carnival Cruise bans several passengers after onboard brawl: Here's what went down According to Jadec's data, in the past decade, the deadliest years for civil aviation were 2018 and 2015, each recording over 500 fatalities. The organization, which tracks aircraft with at least 19 seats or a weight of 5.7 tons, noted that while 2025 is shaping up to be among the most tragic in recent memory, many of the recent accidents remain under investigation. Ritcher emphasized that the numbers are still within historical norms and reminded the public that airplane crashes 'happen mostly totally at random without a comparability to each other.' He also urged the media not to jump to conclusions while investigators work to determine the cause of the Air India crash. 'And I want to emphasize the bigger picture here,' Richter said. 'Air travel is and remains the safest way of going from one place to another,' he added.
The Star
2 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Air India crash makes 2025 deadliest for air travel in years
AHMEDABAD, (India): The crash of Air India Flight 171 has turned 2025 into one of the deadliest years in the past decade for civil aviation. There were 242 people aboard the Boeing Co. 787 jetliner, according to the airline, when the plane went down in a fireball Thursday shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. The accident is likely to produce more fatalities given it crashed into a residential area. Globally, the number of civil aviation fatalities has reached more than 460 in 2025, according to Jan-Arwed Richter, founder of Jacdec, a German consulting firm that tracks aviation safety. The average over the past decade is 284 based on the firm's methodology. "This year still has more than six months to go, so this could be concerning if this rate of fatal accidents would go on,' Richter said. Commercial-aviation safety reached a high-water mark in 2023, when industry groups said there were no fatal crashes. Since then, a number of high-profile incidents have grabbed headlines. In January, American Airlines Group Inc. Flight 5342 collided with an Army helicopter near Washington, in one of the deadliest US civil aviation disasters in decades. Less than a month later, a Delta Air Lines Inc. jet flipped over while landing in Toronto. While no one died in the second mishap, they raised new questions with the flying public about whether air travel was safe. Thursday's Air India crash is on track to become the worst commercial airline disaster since MH17 in 2014. The Malaysian Airlines flight, shot down over Ukraine, left 298 people dead, according to Aviation Safety Network, which tracks fatal crashes. The deadliest years for civil aviation in the past decade were in 2018 and 2015, with more than 500 fatalities each, based on Jacdec's figures. The group tracks aircraft with at least 19 seats, or weighing 5.7 tons. Richter cautioned that most of the recent accidents are still under investigation, the numbers are within norms and that airplane crashes "happen mostly totally at random without a comparability to each other.' He urged media not to jump to conclusions while investigators search for the cause of the Air India crash. "And I want to emphasise the bigger picture here,' Richter said. "Air travel is and remains the safest way of going from one place to another.' - Bloomberg
