Parliament Meeting Focuses on Aviation Safety After Air India Tragedy

A pivotal meeting was held by India's Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture at Parliament House Annexe to address civil aviation safety. The discussions are in response to the Air India Flight AI-171 crash, which resulted in 241 fatalities, and significant fare hikes post-terror attack in Pahalgam.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture convened at Parliament House Annexe to conduct a comprehensive review of safety protocols in the civil aviation sector. Key attendees included Committee Chairman Sanjay Kumar Jha, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, as well as officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, and the Airports Authority of India.

During the session, members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) expressed grave concerns about aviation safety, especially in light of the Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad and a sharp increase in flight fares from Srinagar post-Pahalgam terror incident. Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, tragically crashed shortly after takeoff on June 12, claiming the lives of 241 individuals, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted a preliminary report following the disaster. The successful retrieval and domestic decoding of crash data mark a significant milestone. The AAIB, spearheaded by its Director General, alongside experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), are rigorously analyzing the incident to uncover its causes.

(With inputs from agencies.)