Air India Plane Crash in Ahmedabad

Syllabus: GS3/Disaster Management

Context

• The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has initiated a formal investigation into the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

About

• An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed into a college hostel in Ahmedabad, causing more than 200 casualties.
• The two black boxes will help in revealing what triggered the tragic crash of the Air India plane.
• This disaster could rewrite aviation safety norms, especially for India, now the world’s 3rd-largest domestic aviation market.

India’s Aviation Growth Trajectory

• Passenger Traffic: India handled over 152 million domestic passengers in FY 2023-24, growing 21% year-on-year.
• Cargo Market: India is the sixth-largest air cargo market globally, handling 3.33 million tonnes of freight in 2022-23.
• Airport Infrastructure: Over 150 operational airports, with 75 added in the last 9 years under the UDAN (Udein Desh Ke Aam Nagrik) Scheme.
• Employment: The sector supports over 4 million jobs directly and indirectly.

Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) – Established: In 2012 under the Ministry of Civil Aviation. – Mandate: Investigates civil aircraft accidents and serious incidents to determine causes and recommend safety measures (as per Annex 13 of ICAO). – Legal Backing: Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2017. What is a Black Box? – A black box is a small machine that records information about an aircraft during its flight.  – It is a bright orange or yellow rectangular box crafted to withstand explosions, fire, water pressure, and high-speed crashes.  – Discovered by Australian scientist David Warren, it is used to discover the cause of a plane crash. What Does A Black Box Do? – The black box comprises two components: 1. Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR): Captures cockpit audio, including pilot conversations, alarms, and engine sounds. – Flight Data Recorder (FDR): Logs key flight parameters such as, Altitude, Airspeed, Flight heading, Vertical acceleration, Pitch and roll angles etc. – Location: They are usually placed in the tail section of the aircraft—an area statistically least impacted in crashes. – Crash Survival Capabilities: 1. Materials: Titanium or stainless steel casing 2. Impact Resistance: Can survive 3,400 g of force 3. Fire Resistance: Endures 1,100°C for at least 60 minutes 4. Pressure Resistance: Tolerates deep-sea pressure up to 6,000 meters.

Challenges in the Indian Aviation Sector

• Market Concentration: Duopoly Structure: IndiGo (~60%) and Tata Group airlines (~30%) control ~90% of the domestic market.
• Barriers to Entry: High operational costs, predatory pricing, algorithmic coordination, and opaque slot allocation mechanisms hinder new entrants.
• Financial Instability: Many airlines remain chronically loss-making.
  • Air India posted a net loss of ₹9,556 crore in FY22.
• Safety Concerns: IndiGo was fined ₹1.2 crore in 2023 for security violations.
  • Akasa Air and Air India have both been penalised by DGCA for lapses in safety and engineering checks.
• Anti-Competitive Practices: Gun-jumping (premature mergers), collusive pricing (two or more airlines coordinate to fix ticket prices), and slot misuse (Airports allocate landing and takeoff slots to airlines) remain inadequately addressed.
• Institutional Weakness: Regulatory bodies like DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation), AAIB (Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau), and BCAS (Bureau of Civil Aviation Security) suffer from:
  • Staff shortages, lack of specialised technical personnel, and delayed decision-making.
  • Many are headed by non-aviation experts, creating a gap between regulation and ground realities.

Concluding remarks

• While India’s aviation sector is flying high, structural fragilities threaten its safe and sustainable growth. 
• Addressing financial stress, market distortion, safety issues, and regulatory inertia is imperative for India to transition from a fast-growing to a truly world-class aviation ecosystem.

Source: AIR