New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that the AAIB probe into the fatal crash of the Air India aircraft in June last year is progressing at a very
good pace, and the investigation report will be out “very soon”.
Replying to a supplementary query during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu said the ministry is doing its best to ensure flight operations and to bring back Indians stranded due to the West Asia conflict.
The minister, responding to various queries, told the House that the probe report into the Air India plane crash would be out soon.
Air India’s Boeing 787-8 plane operating the flight AI171 enroute to London-Gatwick crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, including 241 persons onboard, and the crash is being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB).
“Regarding the AI171 crash that happened in June last year, the investigation is going at a very good pace, and all the resources that are required for AAIB, the primary agency which is looking into the investigation, the ministry is providing.
“And I would say that very soon, within the completion of the year, the report should be out,” Naidu said.
On the West Asia situation and the safety of flight operations, Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) immediately engaged with the airlines and issued circulars.
“… You can say that they (DGCA officials) have had multiple meetings with them (airline executives) so that they can only operate when they ensure that 100 per cent safety is there when they are operating to these airports in West Asia,” the minister said.
Travel advisories have also been issued to passengers to ensure that there is no confusion, he added.
“From the Ministry side, I can tell the house that whatever best we can do in terms of having safe operations and making people travel from those destinations back to India, we can do with the help of the airlines. They (airlines) have also been very considerate,” Naidu said.
While noting that airlines have been thoroughly looking at slots for operating the services amid the West Asia crisis, the minister said that around 90,000 people have been able to travel to India in the last week itself.
“We are seeing the situation might get better in the days ahead, so that more people can also travel through civil aviation,” he said.
The escalating conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran has significantly disrupted flight operations due to airspace closures in the West Asia region.
In response to a query on the strategy for the civil aviation sector as part of the goal for India to be a developed nation by 2047, Naidu said 200 more airports are expected to be opened in the next 20 years.
“I believe, the country believes, and the Prime Minister believes, that when you want to see a developed country, the civil aviation operation should be a priority sector. And it is with that vision, in the last 12 years, we have seen substantial growth,” he said.
Compared to other regions, including the Asia Pacific, Naidu said India’s civil aviation stands out as the fastest growing and will continue to grow for the next 20 years.
Also, the minister highlighted that the number of airports and aircraft has expanded amid rising passenger traffic.
Every day, five lakh passengers are able to travel domestically, other than that, around 1-2 lakh passengers travel internationally. “Our plan for the future is that in the next 5 years, we want to have 50 more airports, and in the next 20 years, we want to have another 200 more airports. So our overall tally of airports reaches up to 350,” Naidu said.
Besides airports, the government is working on starting seaplane operations and boost helicopter services in the country.
Seeking to dispel concerns about aviation safety, the minister said the DGCA has “a multi-tier, multi-level, thorough process” as well as a strict enforcement system in place to ensure safety and emphasised that the procedures as mentioned by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) are followed.
Naidu also mentioned that the DGCA has taken various measures to improve its standards, including with the help of digital solutions.
Citing an example, the minister said, “we have made track by tail programme, where each and every aircraft is tracked digitally, and all the safety monitoring, which was usually done on paper, is now tracked digitally to see that all the compliances by the aircraft and the airlines are done on time”.
Also, another layer of DGCA inspection has been put in place by way of monitoring from the central headquarters. “There is double verification on whatever safety inspections that are happening,” Naidu said, adding that feedback from all stakeholders, including the public, is taken into consideration for further improving the existing safety norms and standards. PTI MJH RAM DRR
