Following the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad last week and demand to ban Air India on social media, Aviation industry veteran and former Jet Airway CEO Sanjiv Kapoor came in support of Air India.
“Amazing! Tens, even hundreds of thousands are killed in road & rail accidents each year in India — 2,000+ a year on Mumbai’s suburban rail alone — and people don’t bat an eyelid. Air India has had a stellar safety record for decades. One tragedy and people lose all sense of perspective,” said Kapoor on X.
Kapoor also added that the Boeing 787 model involved in the crash flight AI-171 had previously flown over 5 million flights globally without a single fatality. “Maybe because until the tragedy of AI-171, the Boeing 787 had flown over 5 million flights since its launch without a crash or fatality? Air turnbacks and minor tech glitches occur several times a day across all aircraft types. Flying remains the safest form of transportation,” he added.
His comments coincided with the cancellation of 66 overseas flights operated by Air India using Boeing 787-8 aircraft following the Ahmedabad disaster. The action comes following the June 12 deadly crash of the London-bound AI-171, which crashed into a dormitory complex just after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
The airline said that not all of the disruptions were caused by safety concerns, despite the fact that the cancellations raised worries about technical difficulties. Technical issues caused several flights to be cancelled, while internal operational issues and staff shortages had an impact on others. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which oversees civil aviation in India, has stated that 66 flights have been cancelled since the accident but has not ordered a fleet-wide grounding of Dreamliners.
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