TROUBLE IN THE AIR: THE DEADLY AHMEDABAD CRASH HAS PUT THE SPOTLIGHT ON AIR INDIA AND THE AVIATION SECTOR. HOWEVER, THE MAHARAJA MIGHT FIND ANSWERS TO ITS CURRENT TROUBLES IN ITS OWN HISTORY.

ON MAY 7, 1949, after flying Air India, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wrote to J.R.D. Tata congratulating him for “raising the prestige of India abroad”. “The more experience I have of it, the better I like it,” he wrote. Nearly eight decades later, the airline—once J.R.D. Tata’s pride—is facing a massive crisis.

- KARAN DHAR

Three years ago, when the Tata group took control of the erstwhile national carrier, hopes were high that the loss-making airline, infamous for shoddy service and delays, would turn around. But hopes came crashing down on June 12 when London-bound AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, burst into a fireball 32 seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board and several others on the ground. “This is an irreparable damage that will take time to heal. It will benefit foreign carriers who operate international flights in India,” says Mark D. Martin, founder and CEO of aviation advisory & risk firm Martin Consulting.

Ascertaining the cause of the crash is vital to securing air safety as well as Air India’s future. “Most standard operating procedures (SOPs) are made on someone's blood. Today, the aviation industry is much safer. Over a period of time, pilots, crew, operators, regulators... everybody has evolved and made SOPs,” says Captain Anil Rao, general secretary of the Airline Pilots’ Association of India.

He emphasises, “every accident or incident creates the next set of SOPs or corrections to be implemented,” and a strategic overhaul is imperative for the sector battered by frequent flyer complaints about subpar service experience.

“We need strong airline oversight control. We need an airline with thorough professional managers,” Martin says.

‘Saw it coming’