Colossal tragedy

Boeing & Air India have their tasks cut out as in aviation, what's paramount is the brand's identity with safety

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The crash of Air India flight AI 171 is a national tragedy, marking one of the deadliest air disasters the country has seen. The sheer scale of devastation is numbing. As details continue to emerge, full clarity on what caused the crash will take time. Aviation investigations are meticulous by necessity. Yet, even as the due process unfolds, one conclusion demands attention—that safety in aviation, whether in engineering or operations, remains a non-negotiable frontier. It will not be wrong to say that the systems meant to enforce it have failed before, and the penalties for lapses have clearly not been able to act as a sufficient deterrent.

The track record of both Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft, and Air India, the carrier, is troubling enough to raise serious questions. While no airline is without flaws, the evidence in Boeing's case goes beyond unfortunate coincidences. And Air India, even under the Tata Group since 2022, has seen repeated penalties for compromising core aspects of airline safety and service.