AAIB to Decide on Place for Decoding Black Box of Crashed AI Plane: Centre

CEO Says Aircraft Was Well-Maintained

- MPOST BUREAU

MUMBAI: The government on Thursday said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau will decide on the location of decoding the black box of Air India's crashed Dreamliner.

A multi-disciplinary team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has commenced an investigation into the accident that killed around 270 people on June 12, it said.

Meanwhile, Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, in a message to flyers, said the crashed Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was "well-maintained" and had undergone a major check in June 2023 with the next scheduled for December this year.

He also acknowledged that the airline's decision to temporarily curtail its wide-body fleet operations by 15 per cent may have an impact on its customers' travel plans.

The London-bound Air India flight AI-171 carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12. All but one on board the plane died along with 29 on the ground when the aircraft smashed into a medical complex in the Meghaninagar area of the city shortly after its take-off.

The AAIB is probing the crash, and in addition to this, a high-level panel has been set up under the Home Secretary to investigate the causes of the plane crash.

The committee will submit its report in three months.