Plea filed in SC to suspend Air India Boeing fleet operations pending safety audit

A petition has been lodged with the Supreme Court of India seeking the suspension of Air India's Boeing aircraft operations, pending a comprehensive safety audit to be completed within two weeks. This urgent plea follows the recent tragic crash of an Air India Boeing Dreamliner 787-8 on June 12 in Ahmedabad, which claimed the lives of 241 passengers and crew members moments after takeoff en route to London.

The petition, filed by advocate Ajay Bansal, names the Centre, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India Limited, and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security as parties. It calls for immediate directions to these authorities, particularly the DGCA, to conduct unannounced audits across the entire fleet of Air India and other air carriers operating in India. The plea also demands the public disclosure of audit findings and the imposition of immediate corrective measures or penalties for non-compliance, alongside stringent security and scientific checks for all aircraft. It further seeks the immediate grounding of any aircraft found not fully functional or lacking prescribed facilities for international passenger service until all defects are rectified and airworthiness is recertified.

Bansal’s petition highlights "systemic failures in maintenance, functionality, and passenger services on Air India flights," citing the Ahmedabad crash as recent evidence. He also referenced his personal experience on an Air India flight (AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago) on May 20, 2025, where he claimed seats failed to recline, in-flight entertainment systems were non-functional, and air-conditioning did not operate until cruising altitude. These observations, coupled with the recent fatal accident, compound concerns regarding the general public's safety.

The petitioner argues that the safety and security of all air passengers are fundamentally subsumed within the "right to life" guaranteed by Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The plea further seeks the formulation and notification of fresh, mandatory guidelines within four weeks, prescribing stringent and periodic functional checks of all cabin equipment, engines, airframes, and ancillary systems, consistent with the highest international standards.