Ahmedabad plane crash: Air India AI 171 flight crash is a tragedy which will go down as one of the worst aviation disasters in the world. The crash killed all but one of the 245 people on board the ill-fated Air India flight. This is the first crash of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner series of aircraft, which is considered one of the safest in the world.According to data from Aviation Safety Network, flying has actually become safer over the last few decades. 2017 was the safest year for flyers in the last 25 years. In fact, the last 5 years were safest for flying since 2000. The year 2000 saw the highest number of airplane crash deaths at 1,148. The decade between 1965 to 1974 was the worst for aviation safety, with 2,389 deaths in just 1972. The year 1973 saw 2,033 deaths related to air crashes.
Flying has become safer…
Meanwhile, in December 2022, India achieved a significant improvement in its aviation safety oversight ranking, securing the 48th position globally, a substantial advancement from its previous 102nd position in 2018. The International Civil Aviation Organisation conducted an audit of DGCA in November 2022 to evaluate its effective implementation (EI) of critical safety elements.The United Nation’s aviation body awarded DGCA its highest EI score of 85.49%, showing considerable progress from the 69.95% achieved in 2018. Previously, India’s ranking placed it alongside Nepal (101st) and Pakistan (100th), whilst Bangladesh (94th) and Sudan (89th) held superior positions, according to a TNN report.Also Read | Air India plane crash: 787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s flagship product – 10 things to know about aircraft model involved in Ahmedabad crashFollowing the recent assessment, India’s EI score now surpasses several nations, including China (49th), Israel (50th), Turkiye (54th), Denmark (55th) and Poland (60th).A high-level team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, comprising the Director General and Director of Investigation will commence a thorough investigation into the Air India crash. The team will scrutinise safety protocols and procedures.AAIB, operating under the civil aviation ministry’s purview, serves as the national authority responsible for investigating civil aviation accidents and serious incidents. Having activated its emergency response protocol, the team will evaluate the wreckage, obtain flight data and launch technical investigations to determine the crash’s cause.Officials told TOI that an initial report will be released in the upcoming weeks, which will be succeeded by a detailed final report.
