More than five weeks after Air India Flight AI-171 crashed just minutes after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 on board and 19 on the ground, the Ministry of Civil Aviation disclosed on Monday that nine show-cause notices had been issued to Air India in the last six months alone for five separate safety violations.Advertisement“During the last six months, no adverse trend has been reported in reliability reports of Air India in respect of the crashed aircraft,” said Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol, responding to pointed questions from around 24 MPs.CPI(M) MP Dr John Brittas specifically demanded disclosure of whether maintenance lapses, technical faults or prior safety warnings had preceded the crash. Mohol conceded, “Nine show-cause notices were issued to Air India for five violations. In one case, enforcement action has been taken.” No details were shared on the nature of the violations or why enforcement was taken in only one instance despite nine notices.When asked about the cause of the crash by TMC MP Derek O’Brien, who also raised concerns over delays in the investigation, Mohol replied that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) had submitted a preliminary report on July 12 but emphasized that “the investigation is still in progress to determine the probable cause(s)/contributory factor(s) leading to the accident.”Pressed by DMK’s Kanimozhi NVN Somu on whether sabotage or external interference was suspected, the Minister responded vaguely, saying, “Every aspect is being looked into,” without confirming or denying the line of inquiry.The status of the aircraft’s black boxes was also discussed. “The data from one of the flight recorders of AI-171 (VT-ANB) has been downloaded in the Flight Recorder Lab of the AAIB at Udaan Bhawan,” Mohol said, clarifying that “the flight recorders have not been sent abroad”.Families of victims are still awaiting final compensation. Mohol informed the House that Rs 25 lakh in interim compensation has been paid to the next of kin of 114 deceased passengers, while others remain pending due to “various stages of document submission.” Additionally, Tata Sons has pledged an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore per victim, but distribution hinges on the establishment of a trust. “The process of forming the trust is currently underway,” the minister said.The human toll was laid out in stark numbers: “At least, 260 persons sustained fatal injuries in the accident — 241 on board and 19 on the ground. Another 81 persons sustained injuries,” Mohol confirmed. Several ground victims required DNA identification due to severe burns and trauma.Despite the staggering loss, the DGCA records suggest systemic issues may have gone unaddressed. Between 2024 and mid-2025, the regulator took 658 enforcement actions across airlines, including 268 warnings and 390 suspensions, with penalties exceeding Rs 8 crore. MPs questioned how AI-171 escaped scrutiny if such a crackdown was already underway.Post-crash, the DGCA inspected all 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Air India’s fleet. “Minor findings were observed in eight aircraft, which were rectified. Two aircraft are under scheduled maintenance,” Mohol said in response to Congress MP Pramod Kumar Tiwari’s queries.However, the minister ruled out grounding the Dreamliner fleet or initiating a CBI probe. He also denied any “significant gap in technical, crew or maintenance issues behind the aircraft’s grounding,” even as reports of hydraulic leaks, smoke incidents and avionics glitches in Dreamliners continue to emerge.During the disinvestment process, MPs had raised concerns about Air India’s fleet condition. The minister maintained, “At the time of disinvestment, Air India was fully compliant with existing DGCA regulations.”
AI slapped 9 safety notices before fatal crash, govt faces heat in Parl
