The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened
us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.
A London-bound Boeing Dreamliner operated by Air India,AI 171 carrying 242 people, crashed shortly after taking off near the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday in potentially one of the deadliest air disasters in the country in nearly three decades. The Air India aircraft crashed into residential quarters of BJ Medical College doctors in Ahmedabad's Meghaninagar area. According to reports, there's only one survivor from the incident.
The aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm from runway 23. It crashed in just five minutes after take off, according to details shared by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The Air India flight, a Boeing Dreamliner, was bound for London and the incident took place shortly after takeoff at the Ahmedabad airport. According to X post of Air India - the plane Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board - 169 were Indian nationals and was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kunder. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is expected to investigate the Air India plane crash incident.
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi grieved the loss, spoke to Home Minister and CM and other officials instructing them to ensure all possible assistance to those affected. It is reported that Ex CM of Gujarat Sri Vijaybhai Rupani was among those on board who lost their lives. The lone survivor identified as Ramesh Vishwaskumar Bucharvada, reportedly jumped from the aircraft at the last moment. In one of the many videos of the Ahmedabad plane crash doing the rounds on social media, the injured surviving passenger was seen walking after rescuing himself from the mishap.
It is indeed
tragic and the pain is calamitous and heartrending.
There are hundreds of flights taking off and landing at every major airport these days. The first aircraft accident in which 200 or more people died occurred on March 3, 1974, when 346 died in the crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 981. As of July 2025, there have been a total of 34 aviation incidents in which 200 or more people have died. The most fatalities on board a single aircraft are the 520 fatalities of the 1985 Japan Air Lines Flight 123 accident. The largest loss of life in a single aviation accident are the 583 fatalities of the 1977 Tenerife airport disaster, in which two Boeing 747s collided.
Back in June
23, 1985 - Air India Flight 182 en route from Toronto and Montreal to London
and Delhi, crashed off the southwest coast of Ireland when a bomb exploded in
the cargo hold. All 307 passengers and 22 crew members died.
Air India is the flag carrier of India owned by the Tata Group (74.9%) and Singapore Airlines (25.1%). As of November 2024, the airline serves 102 domestic and international destinations operating a variety of Airbus and Boeing aircraft and is the second-largest airline in India in terms of passengers carried. Founded in 1932 as Tata Airlines by J. R. D. Tata, Tata himself flew its first single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth, carrying air mail from Karachi to Bombay's Juhu aerodrome and later continuing to Madras (currently Chennai).
Money value does not count when hundreds of human lives have been lost yet this would impact Insurance in a big way too… .. there will be Aviation policy covering the Hull, passengers, liability and more. However, it is most likely to be a program aka consortium and not a single Insurer with heavy reinsurance protection of likely 95% of the risk. The Hull being declared a total loss could end up anywhere between 700 to 1000 crore depending on age-adjusted insurable value.
Every Air Carrier owe liability to their passengers. Under the Montreal Convention - Article 17 — Death and Injury of Passengers — The carrier is liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger upon condition only that the accident which caused the death or injury took place on board the aircraft or in the course of any of the operations of embarking or disembarking. T is 100000 SDR (Special Drawing rights) - value being derived from a basket of five international currencies—the US dollar, the euro, the Chinese renminbi, the Japanese yen, and the British pound sterling. One SDR is valued at Rs 120 approx and hence liability per passenger could be around 1.8 crores approx.
Indeed a very sad incident. Urgent Investigation to the root cause is required.
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