Temporary Setback for Air India

India just witnessed its worst aviation disaster in recent times. Shortly after takeoff, Air India Flight 171 crashed into the hostel block of a medical college in the Meghani Nagar neighborhood of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on June 12.

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The plane rose to about 625 feet above the runway before gradually losing altitude while maintaining a roughly level and nose-up orientation.

The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Of the 242 people on board, only a single passenger survived. At least 39 people on the ground were also killed. The crash was the first fatal aviation accident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, and was the type's first hull loss.

Aviation expert and former executive director of Air India, Jitender Bhargava talked to Surya S Pillai of The Statesman on the fatal incident, India's growing travel demand, and the need to probe both perception and reality when it comes to such tragic episodes.

Q. As an expert, what lessons do you think should India learn from the Ahmedabad plane crash?

A. India, undoubtedly witnessed its worst air tragedy in Ahmedabad on 12 June. Across the world, airlines go through a troubling phase when their aircraft is involved in an accident. Questions are raised about the aircraft, its maintenance, or possibility of human error. There are as many causes identified as there are experts.

Air India's case has been no different. The reliability of the Dreamliner has been questioned even though 875 million passengers have flown on 4 million flights operated with this aircraft by several airlines.

Every accident, irrespective of the airline involved, throws up numerous lessons for the aircraft manufacturer and the airline, but we should await the conclusion of the investigation before getting into the specifics.

Q. Increased urbanization is significantly impacting airport operations, particularly in major cities, making it difficult and expensive to expand existing airport runways or build new ones. Do you feel airports across the country are struggling to accommodate growing air travel demand?