Skift’s coverage of the Air India crash is offered free to all readers.
A day after Air India flight AI171 crashed after takeoff from Ahmedabad, efforts continue to uncover what went wrong and manage the global and domestic response to one of India’s worst aviation tragedies in recent memory.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed for London Gatwick, had 242 people, including crew, on board. Only one passenger, a British national of Indian origin, survived. The aircraft crashed into a medical college building in the Meghani Nagar area near the Ahmedabad airport.
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has directed Air India to begin enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft starting June 15. The order, issued as a preventive step, specifically mentions aircraft powered by Genx engines.
In its directive dated June 13, the DGCA said Air India must “follow additional maintenance actions on B787-8/9 aircrafts equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect, in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices.”
According to police officials cited by Reuters, investigators have also recovered one of the aircraft’s black boxes. Reports claim this to be the digital flight data recorder.
Earlier, a man identifying himself as an Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) officer was seen carrying what he described a digital video recorder retrieved from the debris.
What is a Black Box?
Though commonly called a “black box,” the device is actually bright orange or yellow to help in locating them quickly. It contains two key components: the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), which captures flight metrics like altitude, speed, and engine activity; and the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), which stores audio from inside the cockpit.
These devices are designed to survive extreme heat, impact, and water damage. They are the most important sources of data in crash investigations. In a case like this one, they may be crucial to determining what caused the crash, especially since the aircraft reportedly sent a “Mayday” signal before contact was lost.
“At this point, accident investigators hope that recovered information from the plane’s black box will help determine a cause. But such information isn’t always definitive,” said Jay Shabat, Airline Weekly analyst.
However, depending on the damage, decoding the data can take weeks or even months.
Support for Families and Passengers
Air India said on Friday that it has set up Friends & Relatives Assistance Centres at key airports — Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Delhi, and London Gatwick — to support the families of those who were on board. These centres are helping with travel logistics, accommodations, and updates.
The airline has also activated dedicated helplines.
Meanwhile, the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), the country’s largest life insurance company, has said it will fast-track claim settlements. Families will not need to produce official death certificates; government-issued compensation or confirmation records will be accepted instead. “All efforts will be taken to ensure that the claimants are reached out and claims are settled expeditiously to the affected families,” LIC said.
A new Skift survey shows safety concerns are no longer just a worry, they’re directly influencing how people book travel.
The Crash Probe
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the crash and met with rescue officials, medical teams, and the only known survivor. He later chaired a high-level meeting at Ahmedabad Airport to monitor the response efforts.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Stephanie Pope have both withdrawn from attending the upcoming Paris Air Show. GE Aerospace, whose engines power Boeing 787 aircraft, also cancelled a major investor event scheduled for June 17.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), an independent U.S. government agency responsible for investigating transportation accidents, announced that it will support India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in examining the recent Air India crash in Gujarat.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau under India’s ministry of civil aviation is now leading the probe into the Air India plane crash
In a post on X, the NTSB stated: “A team of U.S. investigators led by the NTSB will travel to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau in its probe of the crash involving an Air India Boeing 787 in Ahmedabad on Thursday. In accordance with international protocols outlined in Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, all official information regarding the investigation will be released by the Government of India.”
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