Security Check: The June 12 Air India Crash Exposes Systemic Safety Concerns

An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner—flight AI171—flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off on June 12. The plane went down in the densely populated Meghaninagar area, just outside the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight had taken off at 1:39 PM and was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, one Canadian, and 12 crew members. All lost lives except one. The pilot sent a mayday alert to Air Traffic Control soon after take-off, but the aircraft failed to climb beyond 625 feet before crashing into a nearby residential area.

Just a month ago, this same Air India flight had faced technical issues. Despite boarding all passengers, the aircraft remained on the ground for nearly two hours with poor air conditioning, leaving passengers uncomfortable and anxious. They received no clear updates, and the flight was eventually cancelled due to a technical fault. 

Devanshu Pandit, a frequent flyer on Air India’s direct Ahmedabad–London Gatwick route who travelled just a few weeks ago, has raised concerns over repeated delays and poor in-flight service, questioning the airline’s commitment to passenger comfort and reliability.

On his most recent journey at the end of May 2025, the flight from Ahmedabad was delayed by three hours, with the delay communicated only at the time of check-in. “The in-flight entertainment didn’t work, nor did the charging points. We couldn’t even track the flight’s progress,” Pandit said. “Looking around, maybe one in 25 or 30 systems was actually working.”

He noted that such issues have persisted for years. In 2023, his return flight from Gatwick to Ahmedabad was delayed by 3.5 hours. Just two weeks later, his wife faced a similar three-hour delay after boarding.

Pandit also pointed to a sharp disparity in service quality between routes. His daughter’s Air India flight from London to Delhi was punctual, with all systems functioning. “From what I gather, newer aircraft are being used on the Mumbai and Delhi (to London) routes, while older planes continue to serve direct international flights from cities like Ahmedabad and Amritsar (to Delhi) routes,” he added.

Grounded by Vacancies: India’s Air Safety Oversight Under Strain

Air accidents are rare, which is why airline safety systems don’t often draw public attention. According to the International Air Transport Association, there were 37.7 million flights flown worldwide in 2023, with only 30 accidents—that’s just one accident for every 1.26 million flights. But when air accidents do happen, they are often severe, with very low chances of survival. This plane crash off Ahmedabad brought the air safety forefront into public discussion.  

A Parliamentary Standing Committee report, tabled on March 25, 2025, raised serious concerns about persistent staff shortages in key aviation bodies responsible for ensuring safety and security—Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS), and Airports Authority of India (AAI). The committee warned that as air travel continues to grow, these staffing gaps could significantly impact flight safety, airport security, and the quality of services provided to passengers.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s top aviation regulator responsible for flight safety, pilot licensing, and aircraft certification, is facing a serious staffing crisis. Out of 1,633 approved posts, only 754 are filled, leaving 879 positions vacant—a shortfall of nearly 54 per cent. This raises serious concerns about the DGCA’s ability to effectively oversee aviation safety across the country.

This is not a recent issue. In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on 10th February 2025, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that 835 posts were vacant in 2023, and 811 in 2024. This means that more than half of the DGCA’s positions have remained unfilled for at least the last three years, highlighting a persistent problem that could compromise aviation oversight.

The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) handles airport and airline security, including passenger screening, baggage checks, and coordination with CISF and airport operators. According to the report, BCAS has filled just 390 out of 598 positions, leaving a 35 per cent vacant. This compromises the robustness of security measures at airports.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is responsible for managing airport infrastructure, air navigation services, and ensuring the smooth functioning of over 100 airports across India. It has 3,265 vacancies out of 19,269 sanctioned posts, a shortfall of nearly 17 per cent. Such understaffing can affect day-to-day airport operations.

Expressing concern, the parliamentary committee observed: “Chronic understaffing in these institutions could undermine safety, security, and service delivery standards, particularly as air traffic volumes continue to rise.” It has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to speed up hiring across all departments. The committee also stressed the need for a long-term workforce plan to keep pace with the growing demands of India’s rapidly expanding aviation sector.

After this fatal crash, another major security concern that came under scrutiny was the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Dreamliner or Nightmare?  Boeing’s Safety Record Faces Global Heat

According to Boeing, the 787 Dreamliner is its best-selling widebody aircraft, flying over 1 billion passengers in less than 14 years. Its lightweight design cuts fuel use by up to 25 per cent and has opened more than 425 new nonstop routes. With nearly five million flights, it's praised for offering a smoother travel experience. However, the Dreamliner has remained under safety scrutiny in India for years.

In 2016, Lok Sabha MP Dushyant Chautala asked the government whether Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet had been facing frequent technical problems. In reply, the then Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Jayant Sinha, acknowledged that technical issues had been reported since the aircraft were first inducted into Air India’s fleet. However, he said these problems did not compromise flight safety due to the aircraft’s advanced design and in-built safety systems.

Sinha also told Parliament that Air India had held discussions with Boeing about these issues and that Boeing had paid compensation for the grounding of aircraft caused by battery-related faults.

He further informed the Lok Sabha that in January 2013, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) temporarily grounded all Dreamliner flights in India. This action followed a directive from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), after lithium-ion battery fires were reported on Boeing 787s operated by Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA).

Questions about the Dreamliner’s safety have been raised since it was first inducted into the fleet. At the time, the Civil Aviation Minister admitted that delays in delivery were due to production and design issues. On August 14, 2012, MP A.Elavarasan raised a question in Parliament about delays in the delivery of Boeing 787s to Air India (then government-owned). In response, then UPA Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh stated:

“The delivery of 27 B787, which were due for delivery from September, 2008 to October, 2011, was delayed by Boeing due to production/design problems and various other reasons.”

Until the recent Ahmedabad crash, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had maintained an impressive safety record, but it has not been free from controversy. Since its induction, the aircraft has been associated with a series of technical issues, delays in production, and battery-related incidents that have raised questions about its long-term reliability.

One of the earliest and most serious incidents occurred in January 2013, when the entire global fleet of Dreamliners was grounded after two major lithium-ion battery fires—one aboard a Japan Airlines aircraft and another on an All Nippon Airways flight. This led regulators across the world, including India’s DGCA and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), to halt operations until the issue was resolved.

In 2019, John Barnett, a long-time Boeing employee and former quality control manager at the company’s North Charleston plant in South Carolina—where many 787 Dreamliners are built—raised serious safety concerns. Speaking to the BBC, Barnett alleged that workers under pressure to meet deadlines were installing sub-standard parts on aircraft during assembly. He also claimed to have found major flaws in the oxygen systems, warning that in an emergency, one in four passenger masks might fail to function. Barnett said he grew concerned soon after joining the South Carolina plant, where he believed that the rush to speed up production was compromising safety. Boeing, however, denied his claims.

Further scrutiny followed in 2020 and 2021 when the FAA uncovered structural flaws in how fuselage sections were joined. The discovery of tiny gaps that could weaken the aircraft over time prompted Boeing to pause deliveries for months while the company addressed the problem.

The controversy deepened in 2024 when Sam Salehpour, a senior Boeing engineer, turned whistleblower, in sworn testimony before the U.S. Congress said: “I have analysed Boeing's own data to conclude that the company is taking manufacturing shortcuts on the 787 programme that may significantly reduce the airplane safety and the lifecycle”. Salehpour said Boeing pushed pieces of the fuselage together with “excessive force” to make it seem like the gaps in the fuselage didn’t exist. 

Conclusion 

As India’s aviation sector undergoes rapid expansion, more than doubling the number of operational airports from 74 to 162 in the past decade and projecting a passenger volume of 500 million by 2030—the need for robust safety and regulatory mechanisms becomes more critical than ever. With air cargo volumes expected to nearly triple from 3.5 million to 10 million metric tons by the end of the decade, ensuring the strength and accountability of aviation safety bodies is not just a regulatory necessity but a national imperative. In this high-growth environment, India must match infrastructure growth with an equally strong commitment to safety oversight, staffing, and preparedness to safeguard both passengers and the integrity of the aviation sector.