Ahmedabad Plane Crash Updates: DGCA orders enhanced inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet

Air India parent Tata Group will pay Rs one crore to the families of persons killed in the Ahmedabad plane crash, besides covering the medical expenses of those injured, the carrier’s MD and CEO Campbell Wilson said on Friday.

In a message shared on the official handle of Air India on X, Campbell said that while everyone at Air India is devastated by this loss and grieves for those affected, the airline has moved 100 caregivers and 40 engineering staff to Ahmedabad.

“…We have confirmed that 241 of the 242 passengers and crew perished in the incident. All of us at Air India are devastated by this loss and grieve for those affected near families and their loved ones,” he said.

The technical team is now helping at the site, and caregivers are providing support to families, he said, adding that many more caregivers are travelling to Ahmedabad to provide further support.

Air India has set up assistance centres at Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi and London for the next of kin of the passengers and crew members, he added.

In the wake of the recent accident involving Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad, industry experts say aviation insurers may consider raising airline premiums in the upcoming cycle.

The anticipated hike is driven by a mix of growing exposure on international routes, heightened regulatory scrutiny, and the likelihood of high-value claims—all factors that could push premiums above current levels.

On Thursday, the tail end of an Air India plane headed for London slammed into the BJMC medical interns’ hostel, killing ten people, four of them were medical students.

The Federation of All India Medical Associations (FAIMA) said that 24 people from the dormitory are now receiving treatment.

The Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) collected the Flight Data Recorder from the Ahmedabad crash site within 28 hours.

This swift recovery marks a key step in advancing the ongoing investigation.

Following an accident involving an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick on June 12, the DGCA has directed enhanced safety inspections on all Air India Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft with Genx engines.

Key checks include fuel systems, cabin air compressors, engine controls, and hydraulic systems, effective from June 15. A new in-transit flight control inspection is also being introduced.

The airline has been told to resolve any recurring technical issues and submit reports to the DGCA.

Visuals from the London-bound Air India flight’s crash site show the broken tail end, the empennage, of the aircraft and the charred building of BJ Medical College’s doctors’ hostel.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British citizen of Indian origin, was the only survivor of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Seated in 11A, he walked away from the wreckage in a bloodstained shirt, becoming the ‘miraculous’ sole survivor of the ill-fated flight. Over the years, there have been a few rare cases where only one or two people have survived air crashes. For example, 12-year-old Bahia Bakari lived through the 2009 crash of Yemenia Flight 626.

Read the full story here .

Players wore black armbands and stood side by side as the Wankhede Stadium observed a minute’s silence during the T20 Mumbai League final in memory of the victims of the Air India flight AI 171, which crashed in Ahmedabad’s Megh Nagar locality seconds after takeoff.

Read the full story here .

The Ahmedabad  plane crash  has brought back memories of the Charkhi Dadri air mishap for the people of this Haryana locality. Eyewitnesses recounted the entire incident, describing how the crash unfolded, Network 18 reported.

This happened 29 years ago. On 12 November 1996, a Saudi Arabian aircraft and a Kazakhstan Airlines plane collided over Charkhi Dadri.

It was a mid-air collision that claimed 349 lives in an instant. The crash between Saudi Arabian and Kazakh planes became one of the world’s major aviation disasters. Even today, recalling that day makes the people of Charkhi Dadri tremble. When locals rushed to the scene, they found bodies scattered everywhere. The horror of the crash still haunts the residents.

Read the full story here .

1996 Charkhi Dadri Mid-air collision. (Source: Fandom)

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) on Friday said it has relaxed its claim settlement process for Air India plane crash victims and also expedited the process.

The corporation said it is committed to supporting those affected in the plane crash and will expedite claim settlements for the victims.

“LIC has announced many concessions to mitigate the hardships of the claimants of LIC policies. In lieu of death certificates, any evidence in government records of death of the policyholder due to the plane crash or any compensation paid by central/state government /airline authorities will be accepted as proof of death,” the insurance company said in a statement.

PM Modi hails Vijay Rupani’s hard work and commitment to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ideology while meeting with the family of the former Gujarat CM, who was onboard the ill-fated plane.

“It is unimaginable that Vijaybhai is not in our midst. I’ve known him for decades. We worked together, shoulder to shoulder, including during some of the most challenging times. Vijaybhai was humble and hardworking, firmly committed to the Party’s ideology. Rising up the ranks, he held various responsibilities in the Organisation and went on to serve diligently as Gujarat’s Chief Minister,” the PM posted on X.

About 37 per cent of the Air India fleet is over a decade old, government records show. The Dreamliner that went down on June 12 in Ahmedabad was 11 years old. However, that’s not concerning because most planes are built to remain in service for at least 20-25 years if maintained accordingly.

Moreover, India’s regulatory body, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has not issued any guidelines laying out a recommended time to phase out planes from service.

“The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has not prescribed guidelines specifying life for an aircraft to fly in India. Aircraft are considered airworthy provided the maintenance is as per approved schedule laid down by the manufacturer. Aircraft registered in India may operate as long as type certificate is valid to the type of Aircraft and the aircraft is under production/ maintenance support provided by Manufacturer for the continuous operation of the aircraft,” the government said in the Parliament reply.

The aircraft may be withdrawn from operation by an operator, in case it becomes ‘beyond economic repair’ or is ‘permanently withdrawn from use’ due to any reason such as spares not available, the government said.

A Delhi-bound Air India flight returned to Phuket following a security alert on Friday, an airline official said.

The aircraft landed safely and is undergoing mandatory security checks at Phuket International Airport, the official said.

The number of passengers onboard the Airbus A320neo plane could not be immediately ascertained.

An Air India flight from Phuket in Thailand to New Delhi made an emergency landing on the island after receiving an onboard bomb threat on Friday, Reuters reported citing airport authorities.

The aircraft took off from Phuket airport bound for the Indian capital at 9.30 a.m. (0230 GMT) on Friday, but made a wide loop around the Andaman Sea and landed back on the southern Thai island, according to flight tracker Flightradar24.

Bhumi Chauhan narrowly escaped disaster, missing Air India flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London by just 10 minutes on Thursday. Delayed by traffic, she was unable to board due to a missing boarding pass printout.

“By the grace of Lord Ganpati Bappa, I was saved,” Bhumi said.

Having returned to India a month ago, she was set to join her husband in London.

She has since returned home to Bharuch from Ahmedabad.

Bhoomi Chauhan’s mother says, “We thank Mother Goddess for protecting my daughter. She left her child with me, and it’s all because of the Mother Goddess blessings; because of that child, she is with me.”