On the 12th (local time), an Air India flight to London crashed in Ahmedabad, a city in western India, raising concerns once again over the safety issues of Boeing, an American aircraft manufacturer. The crashed Air India passenger plane was one of Boeing's latest models, the '787-8 Dreamliner,' and this is the first incident since it began commercial operations in 2011.
According to major foreign media, the passenger plane, with 242 crew members and passengers aboard, crashed less than a minute after taking off from an airport near Ahmedabad. Local authorities have reported that 241 people died in the incident. The cause of the crash has yet to be determined, but The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that aircraft accidents can occur due to multiple factors, including operational and maintenance errors, external influences, or manufacturing and design flaws.
As of now, no anomalies have been confirmed regarding the aircraft involved in the accident. The New York Times (NYT), citing aviation data firm Cirium, reported that the accident aircraft was delivered to Air India in January 2014 and has flown more than 40,000 hours to date. NYT stated, “This aircraft has completed about 8,000 flights, which is typical for Dreamliners of the same age.”
Boeing, which has been embroiled in safety controversies for years following a series of incidents involving the Boeing 737 series, has now entered a phase of recovery but faces another crisis. The Boeing 737 Max 8 was involved in the Ethiopian Airlines crash in 2019 (157 dead) and the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in 2018 (189 dead). In January, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 passenger plane, which had taken off from Portland International Airport in Oregon, had parts of its windows and fuselage ripped off while flying at about 5,000 meters.
Following several incidents, Boeing’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was replaced by engineer Kelly Ortberg, who told employees shortly after taking office, “The company is at a crossroads in its recovery, and we can no longer afford any more mistakes.” Subsequently, in April, Boeing stated that its operational capabilities have improved through ongoing efforts toward safety and quality. However, the first crash involving the '787-8 Dreamliner' occurred on the 12th.
The '787-8 Dreamliner,' which crashed in India this time, is Boeing's 'bestseller.' The Dreamliner is made of carbon composite materials and features enlarged overhead bins and windows, and has had no fatal accidents for about 14 years, making it a popular model among airlines. According to Cirium, over 1,100 Dreamliners are currently in operation worldwide. Air India has 36 in its fleet and has placed additional orders for 20.
However, the Dreamliner has also been involved in past quality controversies. Due to battery fire incidents, it was grounded worldwide for four months in 2013, and in 2021, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) suspended deliveries of new Dreamliners while investigating aircraft defect issues. Last year, a whistleblower revealed that some parts of the Dreamliner were manufactured in an unsafe manner. At that time, Boeing stated that it could not find evidence to support the whistleblower's claims.
The New York Times (NYT) reported, “Boeing has fallen into despair once again,” stating that “While this accident may not be closely related to manufacturing issues, it could lead to a more thorough investigation into Boeing's production problems that have persisted for years, given that this is the first fatal crash involving the Dreamliner.” Jeff Guzzetti, a former principal investigator with the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board, told WSJ, “The Dreamliner had a very perfect safety record, so this incident is more perplexing.”