Indian authorities said on Friday that the plane’s flight data recorder, or black box, had been recovered from a rooftop near the crash site – Image: PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP
The fatal crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner has put the spotlight on air safety in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.
An Air India flight with 230 passengers and 12 crew on board crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad on Thursday shortly after takeoff, killing all but one of the people aboard.
The aircraft, a wide-bodied Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner powered by twin jet engines, was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport. It’s the first fatal incident involving the Dreamliner aircraft.
Videos posted on social media showed the jet losing altitude before it hit a medical staff hostel and exploded into a ball of fire.
The cause of the crash remains unknown.
Authorities have launched a formal investigation to ascertain the reason behind the crash, but Air India has said the investigation will take time.
Jitender Bhargava, a former executive director of Air India, said authorities will carry out a thorough investigation.
“The industry’s response, including investigations and ongoing safety reviews, reflects a system designed to learn from accidents and prevent future occurrences,” he told DW.
Planemaker Boeing has said a team of experts is ready to go to India to help in the probe.
Thorough probe to find the cause of crash
Captain Sandeep Bansal, a former fighter pilot, said that an analysis of the aircraft’s flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder will be crucial to determine the cause of the crash.
“This accident is a sobering reminder for every one of us associated with the aviation industry to stay vigilant. These modern aircraft are incredible machines, but they are still machines. We humans are trained professionals, but are still humans,” he told DW.
“The reason for this crash could be human error, sabotage, technical malfunction or environmental hazard like bird strikes, which was the reason in case of Airbus A320 force landing in Hudson River in 2009,” said Bansal.
Indian authorities said on Friday that the plane’s flight data recorder, or black box, had been recovered from a rooftop near the crash site. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau said that it had begun its work with “full force,” the Associated Press news agency reported.
The investigation is focusing on the engine, flaps and landing gear, Reuters news agency reported.
Sanjay Lazar, CEO of Avialaz consultants and aviation expert, said the plane appears to have suffered a loss of power in engines.
“It appears to have been something extraordinary that happened as you can see from the visuals — that the aircraft could not climb, and had no thrust, so either it was a catastrophic failure of both engines or some major ingestion into the engines,” he told DW.
“Safety and engineering standards at Air India have always been top notch and I can’t see much at fault there. Though I do expect heightened surveillance of airlines across India by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation regulator, hereafter,” he added.
India’s aviation regulator on Friday ordered safety checks on the entire Boeing-787 fleet.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, meanwhile, visited the crash site, and met the lone survivor at the hospital.
Rapidly growing aviation market
The incident renewed a debate about air safety in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets.
Air India has suffered a number of both fatal and non-fatal crashes over the years.
Other Indian airlines, like IndiGo and SpiceJet, have also faced issues.
Two years ago, several mid-air technical malfunctions forced pilots to make emergency landings, drawing public attention at the time to the issue of aviation safety.
At present, India is the world’s fourth-largest air market, including both domestic and international travel.
The International Air Transport Association projects that it will become the third biggest over the next decade.
The Indian government is also pumping billions into building new airports, as well as expanding and modernizing existing ones, earmarking around $11 billion for the purpose.
Just earlier this month, Modi, while addressing the International Air Transport Association (IATA) summit, said the government aims to increase the number of airports to over 350 by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence.
“Our domestic traffic has surged 30%, international traffic has risen from 55 million to 72 million, and in April 2025 alone, domestic air traffic grew by 10% — outpacing the global growth rate of 8%,” said Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu at the event.
Authorities recognize that restoring and maintaining confidence is essential for sustaining growth in the civil aviation sector. (DW.com/NAN 15-06-25)
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