We Cannot Let a Tragedy Derail  Air India  or Tarnish Brand India

The tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad has left the nation shaken and grieving. The loss of lives in such a horrific manner is deeply painful, and our hearts go out to the victims and their families. Yet in this moment of sorrow and collective shock, we must also summon clarity and responsibility in how we respond. A single tragedy, however severe, must not be allowed to derail the broader mission of revitalising Air India, nor tarnish the larger vision of a world-class aviation sector envisioned under Viksit Bharat 2047.

Air India, once the pride of Indian skies, became a symbol of decline due to decades of bureaucratic inefficiency, political interference, and chronic underinvestment. But its recent return to the Tata Group brought with it renewed optimism. With massive investments in fleet modernization, employee retraining, customer service overhaul, and technological upgrades, the “Maharaja” has been preparing for a second golden age. The transformation was never going to be overnight—but it is real, visible, and ongoing.

To turn this crash into a reason to demonize Air India or, worse, cast doubts over its entire operational integrity, is unfair and dangerous. Social media outrage branding the airline a “flying coffin” or calls for mass boycotts ignore both context and complexity. Worse, such narratives can erode public trust and damage the morale of thousands of hardworking aviation professionals who are committed to raising Indian aviation standards.

The airline industry, by nature, operates under intense scrutiny. And rightly so—because safety must always be non-negotiable. But it’s precisely because the sector is unforgiving of lapses that we must ensure investigations are based on facts, not driven by emotion. India handles more than 3,100 commercial flights each day—269 from Ahmedabad alone. This scale and efficiency cannot be ignored. A single crash, while a grave setback, should not be allowed to define the safety record of an entire airline or the broader Indian aviation ecosystem.

Still, difficult questions must be asked—and answered. How did a modern Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flown by an experienced crew, crash just moments after takeoff? Was it pilot error, technical failure, or systemic negligence? Was maintenance compromised? Did regulatory oversight miss something? This tragedy must trigger a full, transparent, and time-bound investigation—not only to fix accountability, but also to plug systemic gaps.

India’s civil aviation sector is at an inflection point. The Civil Aviation Minister, Rammohan Naidu, recently revealed that the country will need nearly 30,000 pilots by 2045. At present, we have only 7,000 to 8,000 commercial pilots, with many lured abroad by higher salaries and better infrastructure. This indicates that while the number of aircraft and routes is growing, our training and safety infrastructure may be struggling to keep pace.

It’s not enough to just add pilots—we must improve the quality of training, implement global best practices, and embrace continuous simulation-based assessments. Regular mental and physical health evaluations, fatigue monitoring systems, and AI-assisted training tools must become standard. We need pilots who are not just licensed, but consistently prepared for the extraordinary demands of modern aviation.

Equally, it is time to think big—beyond just being a flying nation. India has mastered complex technologies in space, nuclear energy, and digital infrastructure. Why should we continue relying entirely on foreign aircraft manufacturers? If India can launch lunar missions, build 21st-century highways, and create greenfield airports in record time, surely we can also aim to manufacture our own next-generation aircraft. The ecosystem is evolving: we have access to 3D printing, cutting-edge materials, precision engineering, and global technology partnerships. A Make-in-India push in aviation manufacturing is not only possible—it’s overdue.

The crash of AI-171 is a heartbreaking moment in our aviation history. But let it also be the turning point—for higher safety benchmarks, for better training, for smarter regulations, and for bold vision. We owe that to the victims. We owe that to the future of Indian aviation. Let not a tragedy clip our wings—but let it teach us to fly safer, higher, and smarter.