Air India hit out after being named world’s 3rd least safe airline
Air India said its aircraft and crews meet international safety standards, and it pointed to regular audits by global regulators.
Moment Air India Flight bound for UK crashes near Ahmedabad Airport
An Air India Boeing 787 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad while en route to London Gatwick on Thursday. The aircraft went down within minutes of take off, with thick smoke seen rising from the crash site..
And now more information has emerged about the airline’s safety record. Back in 2013, Air India was named the world’s third least safe airline in a controversial survey by German aviation analysts JACDEC. The report ranked 60 airlines based on their accident history over 30 years. Air India came in near the bottom, behind only China Airlines and TAM Airlines.
At the time, the airline strongly rejected the ranking and hit out at the findings.
It said the survey was “questionable” and “factually incorrect”, arguing that one of the incidents counted against it was the 1985 terrorist bombing of Flight 182, which killed 329 people off the coast of Ireland.
Air India said this was not a safety failure, and that the incident should not have been included in the airline’s safety score.
The 2013 report also considered two other major accidents, The Times of India reported.
One was the 1978 crash of Flight 855, which plunged into the Arabian Sea after take-off from Mumbai, killing all 213 people on board.
Another was the 1966 crash of Flight 101, which struck Mont Blanc in France and killed 117 people.
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More recently, two deadly accidents involved Air India’s budget arm, Air India Express.
In 2010, Flight 812 overshot the runway in Mangalore and crashed down a hill, killing 158 people.
A decade later, Flight 1344 also skidded off a runway in heavy rain at Kozhikode airport, killing 21.
Air India said its aircraft and crews meet international safety standards, and it pointed to regular audits by global regulators.
Today’s crash is the first ever fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and the first time Air India has lost that model in an incident.
Investigations are now being carried out by Indian authorities, with Boeing also assisting.
Air India Chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, said: "With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
"At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families. We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.
"Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information. An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families."
