Page 7 - Aviation Industry

Too early to draw conclusions on Pilots' role in A-I crash: Ex-AAIB chief

It will be too premature to draw conclusions on the role of pilots from the preliminary investigation report into the fatal crash of Air India plane last month and the final report will mention about the most probable cause for the accident, former AAIB chief Aurobindo Handa said on Sunday. A day after the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the crash that killed 260 people, he said, "We should allow AAIB to complete the investigation in a fair, unbiased and transparent manner." Handa has investigated more than 100 aircraft accidents, including the Air India Express plane crash in Kozhikode in 2020. "AAIB has done a good job. Going forward, they will now focus to find out as to why and how these fuel switches moved and whether there could have been any mechanical and/or electrical failures/malfunction," he told PTI. The report, released on Saturday, said the fuel switches of the crashed Boeing 787-8 plane's engines were cut off within

Aviation safety: Key findings from India's last three major air crashes

The last three major air crashes in India-Patna (2000), Mangaluru (2010), and Kozhikode (2020)-offer critical safety insights, with recommendations for improving aviation safety

Too early to conclude Air India crash cause: Aviation min on probe report

Union Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday said that it is immature to jump to conclusions at the juncture over the recent Air India flight crash in Ahmedabad, as the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has only released the preliminary report. On June 12, a London-bound Air India flight, AI 171, crashed immediately after take off in Ahmedabad, killing 260 people. "So, let's not jump to any conclusions at this stage. Let us wait for the final report. These are technical things and that is why we have these investigation agencies. Once they are clear..., they are going to submit the final report. At this stage it will be very immature for me to comment on it," said Naidu. Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an official programme in the port city, the aviation minister heaped praise on the AAIB, Indian pilots and cabin crews, calling them the 'best' in the world. He also underscored that 'justice' has to be done to the family members of one of India's worst

Delhi, Mumbai flyers may face higher charges as GMR, Adani win tariff case

A tribunal has allowed GMR and Adani Airport to include non-aero revenue in tariff model, boosting earnings at Delhi and Mumbai airports; flyers and airlines may face higher charges as a result

Air India plane crashed after fuel supply to engines was cut off: Probe

The report states that the fuel switches for both engines were moved to the cut-off position almost immediately after takeoff, though the reason for this action remains unclear

Domestic air passenger traffic touches 13.8 mn in June, says report

Domestic air passenger traffic rose 5.1 per cent to over 1.38 crore in June on an annual basis but declined marginally compared to May, a report said on Friday. Rating agency ICRA also said the country's aviation industry is projected to report a net loss of Rs 2,000 to 3,000 crore in FY2026, amid rising ATF prices and geopolitical risks. While maintaining a stable outlook for the industry, ICRA said that supply chain disruptions, including Pratt & Whitney engine issues, continue to impact capacity and costs. "For June 2025, domestic air passenger traffic was estimated at 138.7 lakh, 5.1 per cent higher than 132.1 lakh in June 2024. However, it witnessed a marginal decline of 1.3 per cent on a sequential basis. The airlines' capacity deployment in June 2025 was 4.9 per cent higher than June 2024; however, it was 2.3 per cent lower compared to May 2025," it said. In the first quarter of 2025-26, domestic air passenger traffic stood at over 4.22 crore. According to the report, the .

Reliance Defence plans ₹10,000-cr aerospace push, eyes 2028 jet launch

Reliance Defence to invest ₹10,000 crore in aerospace over 10 years; aims to build India's first commercial aircraft by 2028 and expand Falcon jet assembly in Nagpur with Dassault

Aviation safety in focus as parliamentary panel questions airlines

A day-long meeting of a parliamentary committee on safety in the aviation sector is underway here on Wednesday, with members questioning official agencies and private airlines over safety standards being followed by them, an issue brought into sharp focus by the Ahmedabad plane crash last month. Sources said there was concern among some members over a large number of vacancies in the aviation regulator DGCA, while a few others spoke about the agency not implementing several of the earlier recommendations of the committee. Several official agencies, including the Airport Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), are expected to make presentations before the committee headed by JD(U) MP Sanjay Kumar Jha. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson is among the representatives of airlines who are attending the meeting apart from several other stakeholders. Many of these officials were part of the seating of another parliamentary committee meeting held on ...

Air India's Riyadh-Delhi flight diverted to Jaipur due to bad weather

The flight was originally scheduled to land at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 1 am on July 7 but inclement weather in Delhi forced the aircraft to be rerouted to Jaipur

Still no closure on Air India plane crash as questions outpace answers

The crash report due next week may not be conclusive, but the spate of diversions, emergency landings, and narrow escapes over past month has brought need to improve aviation safety front and centre

Air India Mumbai-Chennai flight returns mid-air after burning smell onboard

A Chennai-bound Air India flight was forced to return to Mumbai on Saturday due to a "burning smell" in the cabin. The aircraft, however, landed back safely, Air India said in a statement. "Air India flight AI 639, operating from Mumbai to Chennai, on Friday, June 27, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a burning smell in the cabin," the airline said in a statement. The flight landed "safely" back in Mumbai, and an aircraft change was initiated, Air India said without giving specific details. The airline further said its ground teams in Mumbai provided all necessary support to passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption.

Adani plans ₹35,000 crore more capex in Navi Mumbai airport by FY30

Project gets interim tariff nod from Airports Economic Regulatory Authority

GIC Re will keep a provision of around ₹200 cr for Air India tragedy: CMD

**Strap:** Narayanan says GIC Re's exposure is limited; aviation and regional premiums may face upward pressure

DGCA launches comprehensive special audit plan to end siloed safety checks

DGCA's new special audit framework moves beyond siloed inspections to assess safety, compliance and operations across airlines, airports, MROs and other aviation entities

DGCA revises guidelines for flight operations in adverse weather conditions

Aviation watchdog DGCA has revised its operational guidelines for operators during adverse weather conditions, emphasising that safety should take precedence over "schedule adherence" and encouraged pilots to divert flights in unpredictable conditions. Issuing an updated operations circular to scheduled and non-scheduled operators, the regulator also said pilots should cross-check visual cues with instruments to ensure accurate approach and landing assessments to deal with visual illusions that may occur during night operations in rain or on wet runways. The circular also comes against the backdrop of recent helicopter accidents in Kedarnath region and an IndiGo flight enroute to Srinagar encountering severe turbulence last month. Citing the growing impact of climate change on operational unpredictability, DGCA has advised flight crew to maintain heightened vigilance, "with an emphasis on safety taking precedence over schedule adherence". "Captains are encouraged to initiate ...

Air India cuts narrowbody flights by 5%, suspends three routes till July

Air India to reduce frequencies on 19 routes and suspend three services until mid-July to maintain reliability amid safety audits and aircraft availability challenges

Air India to reroute international flights amid tensions in West Asia

Air India will avoid parts of Persian Gulf in addition to Iran, Iraq and Israel, with some routes to Europe and North America likely to see longer travel times

Airlines keep avoiding West Asian airspace after US strikes on Iran

Missile and drone barrages in an expanding number of conflict zones globally represent a high risk to airline traffic

For the sake of air safety, DGCA's institutional design needs an overhaul

From first principles, we know that there are market failures that motivate state intervention. There may be a problem of market power in a small oligopoly of airlines

Reliance, Dassault Aviation to build Falcon 2000 jets in India by 2028

Dassault Reliance Aerospace Ltd (DRAL) to build Falcon 2000 jets in India; Nagpur facility to serve as global Centre of Excellence, with first aircraft rollout targeted by 2028