Skift’s coverage of the Air India crash is offered free to all readers.
The crash of Air India Flight 171 is very personal to all of us at Skift. I’m Indian, my wife’s family comes from Ahmedabad, and many of our staff do too.
India’s growth in travel has been a big story for Skift in recent years and we’ll be following the economic and business fallout.
The full impact will take days and weeks to fully understand but we’ll be focused on what is at stake for India and specifically, the Indian travel and tourism ecosystem. These are eight important themes we’re thinking about.
1: Boeing’s Comeback Stalls
This is the first-ever fatal crash of the Dreamliner. The narrative it’s safe has been shattered. Boeing was already under a lot of pressure from Washington regarding its safety record.
2: Air India Under a Microscope
This is year 3 of Air India being owned by Tata. This is the biggest test for Tata, as well as for Air India. And what does it mean for Air India’s turnaround? Campbell Wilson – the foreign and white CEO – will be under the spotlight, trying to show empathy and leadership at the same time. It’s the biggest test of his career. He has to come through.
3: Infrastructure vs. Oversight
The crash creates hard questions for the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the authority that manages airports in India — especially as the country is home to the world’s fastest-growing airport economy.
Have the systems – the people, and the training, etc. – have they caught up with the hard infrastructure?
4: What It Means for the Dreamliners
Is there a ground stop risk? Air India grounding its remaining long-haul 787 Dreamliners would give IndiGo an unexpected advantage. It will be interesting to see how IndiGo — in particular, its CEO Pieter Elbers — responds.
5: Blow For Indian Aviation?
The International Air Transport Association held its annual general meeting in New Delhi last week. It was headlined by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attracted a large number of airline CEOs. IndiGo had a huge moment in the spotlight as Pieter Elbers was the main host.
The sun was rising on Indian aviation – has that evaporated? It needs to be seen. It’s a huge turnaround from the optimism of last week to this week.
6: Optics for Modi
Prime Minister Modi faces several challenges in the aftermath of the crash, including the transparency of relief efforts amid ongoing elections in the country.
7: NTSB’s Involvement
As Boeing is a U.S.-based company, the National Transportation Safety Board has already said it will assist the Indian government. Representatives from the agency will travel to India to assess the situation and examine any safety issues regarding Boeing. But it would take a while for the agency to get answers – investigations can take years to complete.
8: What It Means For Inbound Tourism to India
When such crashes happen, there can be an impact on tourism. Indian inbound tourism already is not in the best shape and the crash could shake the confidence of business travelers planning trips to the country.
Live Updates: Ongoing coverage of the crash of Air India flight 171 from Skift’s editorial team in India, Europe, and the United States.
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