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New Delhi: The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) on Thursday said it is too early to draw any "definite conclusions" on what led to the Air India plane crash as the probe is still on and that the final report will come out with the root causes while it urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives. The comments come against the backdrop of reports suggesting that pilot error led to the crash of the Air India plane that killed 260 people on June 12. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft, enroute from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after take off. "It has come to our attention that certain sections of the international media are repeatedly attempting to draw conclusions through selective and unverified reporting. Such actions are irresponsible, especially while the investigation remains ongoing," AAIB Director General G V G Yugandhar said in a statement. Appealing to all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report, AAIB said this is not the time to create public anxiety or angst towards safety of Indian aviation industry, particularly on the basis of unfounded facts. Quoting people familiar with US officials' early assessment of evidence uncovered in the crash investigation, the Wall Street Journal has reported that a black box recording of dialogue between the flight's two pilots indicates it was the captain who turned off switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's two engines. At the weekly media briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Thursday said that on the Air India plane crash, one will have to wait for the concerned government authority to make the report public. "It is too premature for all of us to talk about what's in it, what's not in it. So we will have to wait for the final report to come out," he said. He was responding to queries on media reports saying that it was the captain of the aircraft who was responsible for the crash. The AAIB said the purpose of its investigation and preliminary report is "to provide information about 'WHAT' happened. The preliminary report has to be seen in this light. At this stage, it is too early to reach to any definite conclusions. The investigation by AAIB is still not complete. The final investigation report will come out with root causes and recommendations". After the release of its preliminary report on July 12, this is the first official comments from the AAIB amidst concerns raised in certain quarters about the the initial report as well as the cause of the accident. Noting that it will publish updates, as and when required, which have technical and public interest, AAIB also urged both the public and the media to refrain from spreading premature narratives that risk undermining the integrity of the investigative process. "It is essential to respect the sensitivity of the loss faced by family members of deceased passengers, crew of the aircraft and other deceased persons on ground," it said and added that the accident has been the most devastating accident in recent aviation history. The investigation is being undertaken in a rigorous and most professional manner in accordance with the AAIB Rules and international protocols, the statement said. Against the backdrop of concerns raised about the preliminary probe report, AAIB asserted that it has a flawless record in investigating 92 accidents and 111 serious incidents since its inception in 2012. "Even now, apart from investigating in the ill-fated Air India's B787-8 aircraft VT-ANB, several other accidents and serious incidents are under investigation," the statement noted. AAIB also appealed to all concerned to await publication of the final investigation report after completion of the probe. Veteran pilot and aviation consultant Captain Ehsan Khalid has suggested that investigators should also focus on a possible fault in flight AI171's stabilizer, which he believes could have created conditions for the plane's crash, albeit due to an unintended mistake by the pilot. Air India flight 171, which crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 241 on board and 19 on the ground, had arrived from Delhi before its onward journey to London Gatwick on June 12. The crew reported a fault with the stabilizer to engineers in Ahmedabad who fixed it, according to a preliminary report into the investigation released on July 12. The stabilizer is part of the aircraft's tail and helps in pitching up and down its nose on command from the pilot. Meanwhile, various pilots' groupings have cautioned against speculations regarding the cause of the crash and have sought a transparent probe. On Thursday, the Air Line Pilots' Association - India (ALPA India) said the crew of the crashed AI 171 flight made every possible effort to protect the passengers onboard and they deserve respect, not unfounded character judgements. "Pilots are trained professionals who carry the responsibility of hundreds of lives with dedication and dignity. "The crew of AI 171 made every possible effort -- till their very last breath -- to protect the passengers on board and minimize harm on the ground. They deserve respect, not unfounded character judgments," ALPA India said in a statement. The Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) on Thursday asked the government to reassess possible technical misinterpretation or mechanical faults in Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane that crashed last month and sought inclusion of subject matter experts in the probe. Flagging concerns about the AAIB's preliminary report, the federation said the report failed to sufficiently consider or acknowledge two plausible and previously documented technical scenarios, either of which could have triggered an automated shutdown of both engines. In the preliminary report, the 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. "In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so," the report said.
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Mumbai: Air India has issued a statement explaining the reason behind the delay in the take off of the Bangkok-bound Air India Flight AI 2354, on June 25. The flight was delayed for more than 5 hours after hay was discovered lodged beneath the left wing of the aircraft, the airline confirmed in a statement. Reportedly, Flight AI 2354, operated by an Airbus A320Neo, was scheduled to depart Mumbai at 7:45 AM but took off only around 1:00 PM. The airline's immediate action in the matter resulted in the quick removal of the hay, stated the airline. The aircraft was subsequently deemed fit for ope ...Read More >
Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 27 (ANI): A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata's Kasba on Wednesday evening. The police have arrested all three accused within 24 hours. The three accused, named as Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20), were former students or staff members of the same law college. Also Read | Student Gang-Raped at South Kolkata Law College: Police Arrest 3 Youths for Sexually Assaulting Young Woman Inside Law College. According to the police, the accused named in the FIR will be produced before the A.C.J. ...Read More >
New Delhi: As the investigation into the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 continues, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol has confirmed that "possible sabotage" is one of the aspects under scrutiny. His statement follows the launch of a comprehensive investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is currently analysing data from the aircraft's black boxes. The crash occurred on June 12, shortly after the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off from Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of 241 of the 242 people on board. The final death toll now stands a ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar will undertake an official visit to France, the European Union (EU), and Belgium from June 8 to 14, 2025, the Ministry of External Affairs announced in a press release on Sunday. The visit marks a significant step in further strengthening India's strategic partnerships with Europe. The EAM will first travel to Paris and Marseille, France, where he will hold bilateral discussions with the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, Jean Noel Barrot. Also Read | Indian Citizen Dies in UAE: Civil Engineer Issac Paul ...Read More >
Investing.com -- India has declined an offer from the United Nations aviation agency to include one of its investigators in the probe of the Air India Boeing (NYSE:BA) 787-8 Dreamliner crash that killed 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12, according to a Reuters report on Thursday. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) made the unusual move earlier this week by offering to provide investigative assistance without being asked. The ICAO requested that their investigator, who was already in India, be granted observer status in the investigation, but Indian authorities rejected this ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 27 (ANI): A non-specific security alert was detected on one of Air India's aircraft on Friday. The aircraft was cleared for the next flight after standard security procedures, the Air India spokesperson said. A statement issued by the Air India spokesperson said, "A non-specific security alert was detected on one of our aircraft. Standard security procedures were duly carried out, and the aircraft has been cleared for the next flight. Air India accords top priority to the safety and security of its passengers and crew." Also Read | Shimla Shocker: Private School Princ ...Read More >
Bhuj, Jun 29 (PTI) Anil Khimani, the last victim of the horrific June 12 Ahmedabad plane crash identified through DNA tests, has been cremated in Gujarat's Kutch district, bringing closure to the family after two weeks of wait and distress that included submission of samples twice. The 35-year-old, a mason by profession and father of two minor daughters, was on his way to London on Air India Flight 171 to meet relatives when it crashed into a medical college complex in Meghaninagar shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in what turned out to be one of the ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Air India on Friday ordered four senior employees of its gateway services provider, AISATS, to resign after they were found partying at their workplace in Gurugram, just days after the Dreamliner crash on June 12. The tragic accident had claimed the lives of 275 people, including all but one of the 242 on board. The terminated employees include two senior vice presidents, the chief operating officer and the training head of AISATS. A video of the employees partying on June 20 at a DJ event recently went viral on social media. In several clips shared online, at least 30 people can ...Read More >
AHMEDABAD: Sixteen days after the devastating Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, authorities have completed the painstaking process of DNA identification. The final unidentified victim, a 32-year-old passenger from Gujarat's Bhuj, was matched late night . With this, all 260 victims, 241 passengers and crew, and 19 non-passengers have now been accounted for. The medical authorities had earlier pegged the fatality count at 270. The final DNA identification was of Anil Lalji Khimani, a resident of Dahinsar, Bhuj, who was en route to London on the ill-fated flight. His name had ...Read More >
New Delhi: Union minister of state for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Sunday said the investigating agencies were examining all angles in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, and this included the possibility of sabotage. He said that CCTV footage and passports of passengers were being scrutinised as part of this probe. He added the crash was a rare case and noted that both engines shutting down simultaneously was unprecedented. He said the AAIB had commenced an investigation into the crash on June 12 that claimed 260 lives in all. "Once the report comes, we will be able to ascertain if ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 26: India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun the critical analysis of the black boxes recovered from the wreckage of Air India Flight AI-171, which crashed earlier this month. The Civil Aviation Ministry confirmed that all investigation steps are being carried out as per international norms laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As a signatory to the ICAO's 1944 Chicago Convention, India investigates aircraft accidents in line with ICAO's Annex 13 and under the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. Th ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, June 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indian government said on Thursday that the black box data of crashed Air India Flight AI-171 has been downloaded to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to its crash recently in the western Indian state of Gujarat. According to India's federal civil aviation ministry, the analysis of Cockpit Voice Recorders (CVR) and Flight Data Recorders (FDR) data was underway. The ministry said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau promptly initiated an investigation and constituted a multidisciplinary team on June 13 in accordance with international norms an ...Read More >
Mumbai: Recurring aircraft defects, unserviceable ground handling gear, and faded runway markings are among a range of safety lapses discovered by the civil aviation regulator after an intensive survey of key airports including Delhi and Mumbai. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered airport operators and airlines to address these safety concerns within a week. The inspections come on the heels of the June 12 crash of an Air India plane in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people on ...Read More >
New Delhi: Alleging "blatant misuse" of agencies to defame its leaders, AAP on Thursday questioned why the first information report filed against former Delhi ministers Saurabh Bharadwaj and Satyendar Jain was being kept under wraps and "selective" press notes were being leaked to the media.Bharadwaj, who is Delhi AAP convener, alleged that only two former ministers were named in the case without any reasonable cause while all the officers of the health and public works departments, who were actually responsible for executing the hospital projects, were spared. "Is the FIR so baseless that BJP ...Read More >
MUMBAI -- Investigators have recovered flight recorder data from the Air India crash earlier this month, the civil aviation ministry has confirmed, marking a key step in the probe. At least 270 people were killed when the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed less than a minute after taking off on 12 June from Ahmedabad airport in western India. Investigators had earlier recovered both sets of Enhanced Airborne Flight Recorders (EAFRs) - the "black boxes" - from the Boeing 787 crash site on 13 and 16 June - one from a rooftop, the other from the debris. It could be several weeks befo ...Read More >
Mumbai: Uddhav and Raj Thackeray will hold a joint protest march of their parties in the city on July 5 against what they allege is imposition of Hindi in the state's schools from Class 1 through the new three-language policy. This will be the first time they will come together on a political platform after Raj Thackeray's decision to quit Shiv Sena to form MNS nearly two decades ago.There has been speculation of a reunion of the estranged cousins for the coming civic polls, and the protest march is being seen as the first step in that direction, reports Chaitanya Marpakwar.Uddhav and Raj had ...Read More >
New Delhi: Aviation watchdog DGCA will soon come out with streamlined regulations for wet-leasing of planes by Indian airlines that will also entail enhanced oversight of the aircraft, amid airlines looking to operate more planes to meet rising travel demand. With persisting supply chain woes, there is a delay in aircraft deliveries and to meet the near-term needs, carriers are opting for planes on dry and wet leases. A senior official in the know told PTI that the efforts are on to streamline the regulations for wet-leasing of planes to assist in the growth of the aviation. "Realities of the ...Read More >
India's Indigenous Light Tank: A Key Weapon System For High-Altitude Combat Friday, December 13, 2024 by Indian Defence News India's indigenous light tank, Zorawar, represents a significant advancement in the country's defence capabilities, particularly for operations in high-altitude regions. Developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in collaboration with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) and supported by various Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), the Zorawar is designed to meet the operational demands highlighted during the 2020 standoff with China in Eastern Lada ...Read More >
Rudraprayag (Uttarakhand) [India], June 7 (ANI): A helicopter carrying five devotees en route to Kedarnath Dham made an emergency landing on a national highway near Bharasu in Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district on Saturday, temporarily disrupting traffic in the region, officials said. According to officials, the chopper - an AW119 operated by Kestrel Aviation Private Limited - developed a sudden technical fault during takeoff, prompting the pilot to carry out a hard but controlled landing on the nearby road. Also Read | ICU Horror at ESIC Medical College in Rajasthan: 32-Year-Old Woman Alleg ...Read More >
Gurgaon: Two days after a law student died and his friend suffered critical injuries when a car knocked them down as they stood near railing on the service lane of Delhi-Jaipur highway in the early hours of Tuesday, a civil engineer was arrested on Thursday.Mohit (31), an employee of a private company in the city, told police that he got drowsy while driving. He is staying at a PG facility in Sector 14.The student who died, Harsh Singhal (25), was a resident of Om Nagar colony. His friend Abhishek Kumar (23), who is from Shanti Nagar in Sector 11, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital ...Read More >
June 25 (Rtrs) - India would not allow a UN investigator to join a probe of a crashed Air India jet that some safety experts had criticized for delays in analysis of crucial black box data, two senior sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Earlier this week, the United Nations aviation agency took the unusual step of offering India one of its investigators to provide assistance following the Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 787-8 Dreamliner crash killing 260 people in Ahmedabad on June 12. ...Read More >
MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Following public backlash over a video showing Air India SATS executives partying in their Gurugram office shortly after the June 12 Air India flight 171 crash, Tata Group has taken disciplinary action against several people.Four senior officials were suspended from Air India SATS, while multiple others were issued a warning, the company said on Friday.The video, which garnered over 3.8 million views on X, captured several executives dancing with loud music playing during a cele ...Read More >
Pune: Civil aviation experts sought more action against rampant and illegal construction activities near Lohegaon airport, citing that flights' funnel zone was at risk of being compromised.Referring to the Pune Municipal Corporation's action this week against illegal under-construction buildings in the vicinity of the airport, the experts said too little was being done too late. An Indian Air Force (IAF) veteran, requesting anonymity, said rampant construction around airports couldn't have happened without collusion."This is a huge problem. No one is speaking about it. Collusion between law en ...Read More >
Gurgaon: MCG additional commissioner Yash Jaluka directed bulk waste generators (BWG) across the city to ensure proper disposal of waste by private agencies who are assisting them. Giving these instructions in a meeting held on Friday, he said it is often observed that BWGs hand over their waste to private agencies, which only sort valuable items and dump the remaining waste on roads, drains, vacant land or public places. This, he said, not only affects cleanliness of the city but also poses a threat to public health."Under the Solid Waste Management Rules-2016, it is the legal and moral respo ...Read More >
New Delhi, June 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) Air India SATS (AISATS) has sacked four senior officials after a video of an office party in Gurugram went viral, triggering widespread shock and outrage over the callous attitude of the staffers as the nation mourns the death of 270 people in the tragic Ahmedabad plane crash. The video, which featured AISATS Chief Operating Officer Abraham Zachariah and other officials dancing to blaring music, was widely condemned on social media. AISATS is a company that provides airport ground services. It is a joint venture, owned equally (50-50) by two companies -- A ...Read More >
Haridwar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj on Sunday demanded that hotel, dhaba and eatery owners on the Kanwar Yatra routes should display their names and identities on boards outside their business establishments. The owners, who hide their identities under fake names, on the Kanwar Yatra routes should not be spared, he told reporters here. "Tampering with faith of the Hindu devotees during the Kanwar Yatra will not be tolerated," said the Unnao MP. The food shops on the Kanwar Yatra routes should have a board outside with the names of their owners clearly written on them, h ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], June 5 (ANI): Air India announced on Thursday that it has added more flights to Bangkok, Colombo, and Kathmandu to meet the growing passenger demand. Effective July 7, 2025, Air India will add a sixth daily flight between Delhi and Kathmandu, increasing frequency from 35x weekly to 42x weekly. Air India will add a second daily flight between Delhi and Colombo, doubling the route's frequency from 7x weekly to 14x weekly. The Tata Group airline will add a third daily flight between Mumbai and Bangkok, increasing frequency from 13x weekly to 18x weekly. Air India said in a ...Read More >
India's next space hero is here. It's Shubhanshu Shukla.In a historic leap for India's space exploration, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the International Space Station (ISS). Scheduled for launch on June 10, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket as part of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), Shukla's journey will make history as he becomes the first Indian astronaut to travel to the ISS.Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) is a pioneering private spaceflight mission that will not only send India's first private astronaut to space but also mark the return to human spa ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Data from a black box of the Air India Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 has been downloaded at Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau lab, govt said Thursday. Intitial information about causes leading to the accident is likely to be known in the next seven to 10 days.With the black boxes being examined locally, the final report is expected to be out in a month, instead of the six-month time frame given earlier, sources said. Civil aviation ministry said the crash protection module from the front black box was safely retrieved, and on Wednesday, the memory module was a ...Read More >