The deadly Air India flight crash, carrying more than 240 people on Thursday, arrives after years of efforts to turn the country’s flag leader – who was struck by tragedy and financial losses in previous state property.
In 2010, a flight from Air India, arriving from Dubai, exceeded the track in the city of Mangalore and dived over a rock, killing 158 people from 166 on board. And in 2020, a flight to the Air India Express, a subsidiary of Air India, got out of the track in southern India during heavy rain and cracked two – killed 18 people and wounded more than 120 others.
Both incidents included the older Boeing 737-800 aircraft happened while Air India was still under state control. The Tata Sons Indian conglomerate conquered Air India in 2022, returning the carrier to private property after it has been run by the state for decades.
The $ 180 billion deal ($ 2.4 billion) was somehow home for Air India, with roots dating from the creation of the TATA family, what was then called Tata Airlines in 1932. It was also part of the wides Efforts.
Jitendra Bhargava, former CEO of the airline and author of “The Air India downhill,” said state property encouraged archaic working culture, outdated processes and bureaucrats unknown to the aviation industry.
“You get a disaster recipe. And we went through it,” Bhargie told the Associated Press. As a result, he said, company money money – which had a “cascading effect” as they could not invest in upgrades.
At the time of the ingestion of Tata Sons, Air India’s market share was about 12% and at risk of shrinking as competitors are expanding. Other aviation experts emphasize that the shedding of state control is necessary for Air India to compete with other private rivals – and since then the carrier has been working to rediscover, upgrading both his operations and the fleet.
In recent years, Air India has been revising its brand and has ordered hundreds of new planes from both Boeing and Airbus. Analysts do not expect the crash on Thursday, which includes a 12-year Boeing 787 Dreamliner, to change such partnerships.
“I admit that Air India and Tata Organization were very proud of the fact that they made a major commitment to Boeing,” said Anita Medira, aviation and leadership consultant.
Although admitting that Boeing has been bruised in recent years, it has been largely due to problems with its 737 max, MendiraTa noted that there is still a “hunger” from airlines around the world to add the company’s new aircraft to their fleets after recent delivery delays. This includes the search for the 787 Dreamliner – which, in her opinion, is “one of the most important aircraft when it comes to sustainable aviation, reduction of emissions, managing aviation spending.”
Boeing is struck by its own safety problems, including past deadly crashes. However, this was the first collapse of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, according to the Aviation Safety Aviation Network database. And the reason for the crash on Thursday is still unclear.
An international investigation is currently underway and Boeing has said it is “working to collect more information”. Air India said it was also working to get answers around what caused the crash – while promising to support those affected by the tragedy.
“This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India,” said CEO Campbell Wilson in recorded remarks. “Our efforts are now focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata Sons, added in a statement that “no words can adequately express the grief we are experiencing at that moment.” He said the company would provide 10 million rupees (nearly $ 116,795) to the families of each person “who has lost their lives in this tragedy” – and also covers the medical expenses of anyone who is injured.
The Boeing 787 collided with a medical college after a take off in the northwestern city of India Ahmedabad. A single passenger survived the crash, according to a senior Indian employee and Air India. But the airline said there were no other survivors – to put the most death rate on the death of 241.
Beyond the fatal accidents in 2010 and 2020, the Air India Boeing 747 flight also crashed into the Arabian Sea in 1978, killing all 213 aboard.
The carrier has been under control of the government from 1953 to 2022.
Other fatal accidents involving state airlines in India include more than 50 people who died in a crash in the eastern city of Patna in 2000. In 1993, a flight crashed in the Western city of Aurangabad, Kata in 1988. The city of Imfal was killed 69 people, killing 55. In 1988, over 130 died when an airplane crashed while landing in Ahmedabad and in 1991, a catastrophe near the Seedy city of Impal was killed, killing 55. A catastrophe near the native city of Imphal, killed 69 people, reconciled.
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Granham-Philips reports from New York and Ghosal, reported by Hanoi, Vietnam. AP writer Danica Kirk in London has contributed to this report.