Boeing Dreamliner among safest aircraft, over 1,000 flying: Air India tells PAC after Ahmedabad crash

Air India has told Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the Boeing Dreamliner is "one of the safest aircraft in operation" and that over 1,000 of them are currently flying worldwide, sources said. The airline made the statement in its defence following the fatal AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people.

The PAC meeting, which was originally convened to discuss airport levy charges, shifted focus sharply to the June 12 crash of Air India’s London-bound flight AI 171. The aircraft hit the BJ Medical College hostel building shortly after take-off, killing all 241 passengers and crew on board and 19 people on the ground.

Air India CEO Wilson Campbell was present at the meeting, alongside top officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA), and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS). Senior representatives from other airlines, including IndiGo and Akasa Air, also attended.

According to sources, several MPs demanded answers on whether safety procedures were adequately followed and whether systemic lapses were to blame. There were calls for an immediate audit by BCAS, and lawmakers questioned the functioning of the DGCA. The PAC also sought clarity on the selection criteria for the crash probe committee and asked whether foreign aviation experts had been consulted or involved.

MPs also linked the crash to a broader set of concerns in civil aviation, including a perceived increase in safety incidents and a spike in airfares following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

Air India told the committee that it was “deeply concerned” and was fully cooperating with the investigation. The airline said it was awaiting the official inquiry report.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is leading the probe, submitted its preliminary findings to the MoCA on Tuesday. Sources confirmed the AAIB is working in coordination with the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

Investigators have recovered both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and Flight Data Recorder (FDR). The CVR was found on June 13, and the FDR was recovered on June 16 from a rooftop near the crash site. On June 24, both black boxes were flown from Ahmedabad to Delhi by the Indian Air Force. The front black box reached the AAIB lab at 2:00 PM with the Director General of AAIB, followed by the rear unit at 5:15 PM, carried by a second team.