Indian lawmakers to conduct comprehensive review of aviation safety on July 9, following Air India crash

A panel of Indian lawmakers from the upper house of parliament is set to conduct a comprehensive review of safety in the country's civil aviation sector on July 9. This urgent meeting comes weeks after the tragic Air India disaster on June 12, which claimed 260 lives when a Boeing 787-8 jet crashed within a minute of take-off from Ahmedabad. While the official memo for the meeting does not explicitly mention the crash, lawmaker R. K. Chaudhary confirmed that the panel intends to discuss the incident internally and during the session.

The parliamentary committee has invited a wide array of stakeholders, including airport operators, air traffic controllers, and major airlines such as Air India and IndiGo, to participate in the review. The objective is to scrutinize existing safety protocols and practices to prevent future mishaps. The recent Air India crash, which is still under investigation by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with assistance from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, has brought renewed scrutiny to the airline's operations and the broader aviation safety landscape in India.

Adding to the concerns, Air India has recently received multiple warning notices from India's aviation watchdog for various compliance lapses. These include "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling and breaches of safety rules, such as operating three Airbus planes that were overdue for checks on critical escape slides. These warnings highlight underlying systemic issues that the parliamentary panel aims to address, ensuring that airlines become more vigilant and adhere strictly to safety regulations. The outcomes of this review are expected to inform necessary policy changes and reinforce safety measures across the Indian civil aviation industry.