2 months ago
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Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu connected Monday (March 9, 2026) informed the Rajya Sabha that the AAIB probe into the fatal clang of the Air India aircraft successful June past twelvemonth is progressing astatine a precise bully pace, and the investigation study volition beryllium retired “very soon”.
Replying to a supplementary query during the Question Hour successful the Rajya Sabha, Mr. Naidu said the Ministry is doing its champion to guarantee formation operations and to bring backmost Indians stranded owed to the West Asia conflict.
The Minister, responding to assorted queries, told the House that the probe study into the Air India level crash would beryllium retired soon.
Air India's Boeing 787-8 level operating the formation AI171 enroute to London-Gatwick crashed soon aft instrumentality disconnected from Ahmedabad connected June 12, 2025, sidesplitting 260 people, including 241 persons onboard, and the clang is being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
“Regarding the AI171 clang that happened successful June past year, the probe is going astatine a precise bully pace, and each the resources that are required for AAIB, the superior bureau which is looking into the investigation, the ministry is providing.
“And I would accidental that precise soon, wrong the completion of the year, the study should beryllium out,” Mr. Naidu said.
On the West Asia concern and the information of formation operations, Mr. Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) instantly engaged with the airlines and issued circulars.
“... You tin accidental that they (DGCA officials) person had aggregate meetings with them (airline executives) truthful that they tin lone run erstwhile they guarantee that 100 per cent information is determination erstwhile they are operating to these airports successful West Asia,” the Minister said.
Travel advisories person besides been issued to passengers to guarantee that determination is nary confusion, helium added.
“From the Ministry side, I tin archer the location that immoderate champion we tin bash successful presumption of having harmless operations and making radical question from those destinations backmost to India, we tin bash with the assistance of the airlines. They (airlines) person besides been precise considerate,” Mr. Naidu said.
While noting that airlines person been thoroughly looking astatine slots for operating the services amid the West Asia crisis, the Minister said that astir 90,000 radical person been capable to question to India successful the past week itself.
“We are seeing the concern mightiness get amended successful the days ahead, truthful that much radical tin besides question done civilian aviation,” helium said.
The escalating struggle involving the U.S., Israel and Iran has importantly disrupted formation operations owed to airspace closures successful the West Asia region.
In effect to a query connected the strategy for the civilian aviation assemblage arsenic portion of the extremity for India to beryllium a developed federation by 2047, Mr. Naidu said 200 much airports are expected to beryllium opened successful the adjacent 20 years.
“I believe, the state believes, and the Prime Minister believes, that erstwhile you privation to spot a developed country, the civilian aviation cognition should beryllium a precedence sector. And it is with that vision, successful the past 12 years, we person seen important growth,” helium said.
Compared to different regions, including the Asia Pacific, Mr. Naidu said India's civilian aviation stands retired arsenic the fastest increasing and volition proceed to turn for the adjacent 20 years.
Also, the Minister highlighted that the fig of airports and craft has expanded amid rising rider traffic.
Every day, 5 lakh passengers are capable to question domestically, different than that, astir 1-2 lakh passengers question internationally. “Our program for the aboriginal is that successful the adjacent 5 years, we privation to person 50 much airports, and successful the adjacent 20 years, we privation to person different 200 much airports. So our wide tally of airports reaches up to 350,” Mr. Naidu said.
Besides airports, the authorities is moving connected starting seaplane operations and boost chopper services successful the country.
Seeking to dispel concerns astir aviation safety, the curate said the DGCA has "a multi-tier, multi-level, thorough process" arsenic good arsenic a strict enforcement strategy successful spot to guarantee information and emphasised that the procedures arsenic mentioned by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are followed.
Mr. Naidu besides mentioned that the DGCA has taken assorted measures to amended its standards, including with the assistance of integer solutions.
Citing an example, the Minister said, “we person made way by process programme, wherever each and each craft is tracked digitally, and each the information monitoring, which was usually done connected paper, is present tracked digitally to spot that each the compliances by the craft and the airlines are done connected time”.
Also, different furniture of DGCA inspection has been enactment successful spot by mode of monitoring from the cardinal headquarters. “There is treble verification connected immoderate information inspections that are happening,” Mr. Naidu said, adding that feedback from each stakeholders, including the public, is taken into information for further improving the existing information norms and standards.
