Aviation industry veteran and former Jet Airways CEO Sanjiv Kapoor has defended Air India amid mounting criticism following the crash of a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed over 260 people in Ahmedabad last week.
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Reacting to a woman demanding a ban on Air India, Kapoor urged the public to view the incident in the right context. “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,” he posted on X.
Kapoor also stressed 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.
{{/usCountry}}Kapoor also stressed 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.
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His remarks came as Air India cancelled 66 international flights after the Ahmedabad crash that were scheduled to be operated with Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The move follows the fatal crash of the London-bound AI-171 on June 12, which struck a hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
While the cancellations sparked concerns over technical issues, the airline said not all disruptions were due to safety-related reasons. Some flights were called off due to technical snags, while others were affected by staff shortages and internal operational challenges.
India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has not ordered a fleet-wide grounding of Dreamliners but confirmed that 66 flights have been cancelled since the crash.