New Delhi– The Parliamentary Committee on Transport has summoned top executives from Boeing and Air India, along with officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), for a hearing on air safety following the fatal crash of a Boeing Dreamliner shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport. The session is expected to take place in the first week of July.
According to sources, the committee is deeply concerned about “multiple shortcomings” in aircraft maintenance and broader aviation safety. In addition to the Ahmedabad crash, recent helicopter accidents on the Char Dham pilgrimage route have prompted the panel to expand the scope of its review.
The discussion will cover the DGCA’s oversight role, adherence to aircraft maintenance schedules, and pilot mental fitness evaluations. A formal report is expected to be presented in the next session of Parliament.
Ahead of this meeting, the committee is set to conduct a field consultation in Gangtok to assess air and road connectivity in the northeastern states, with a focus on improving regional tourism infrastructure. Committee members will fly with Air India as part of the review, offering a direct evaluation of the airline’s operations.
In response to the Ahmedabad incident, the DGCA has already taken disciplinary action by removing three senior Air India officials—including a divisional vice president—from all duties related to flight crew scheduling and rostering. The Tata Group-owned airline has been directed to initiate internal disciplinary proceedings without delay. Failure to comply may lead to severe penalties, including potential suspension of Air India’s operating license.
Meanwhile, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has begun analyzing data from the black boxes recovered from the crash site of Flight AI171. The black boxes were transported securely to Delhi by the Indian Air Force on June 24. According to an official statement, AAIB personnel and representatives from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) started data extraction that same evening.
The Crash Protection Module from the front black box was successfully retrieved, and the memory module’s data was fully downloaded on June 25 at the AAIB’s lab in Delhi. (Source: IANS)
