The Centre informed the Supreme Court that the preliminary findings of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board have not assigned blame to the Air India pilot involved in the June 12 Boeing 787-8 crash that killed 265 people. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench that the AAIB team was formed under international aviation norms and its purpose is to determine the cause of the accident—not to fix liability. Justice Joymalya Bagchi reiterated that aviation inquiries exist to prevent repeat disasters, not to target individuals, while Justice Surya Kant warned that the proceedings should not turn into a turf war between rival airlines.
During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing an NGO, demanded a parallel court-style inquiry due to the massive scale of the tragedy. He also cited concerns raised by a pilot federation claiming some aircraft in this fleet were unsafe and posed serious risk to passengers. The bench, however, focused on ensuring the process remains neutral and fact-driven. The government was asked to file a detailed response to a plea by the father of one of the victims, after which the matter was adjourned for two weeks.
The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, when the London-bound Air India flight slammed into a medical hostel complex, killing 241 passengers and crew along with 24 people on the ground. The victims included 169 Indians, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, one Canadian and 12 crew members; only one passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived. With families still pressing for accountability and aviation experts raising questions about aircraft safety, the Supreme Court’s next hearings will shape how responsibility and reforms are addressed in one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.
