Challenges remain for Air India's aggressive expansion plan; many questions raised by the Ahmedabad accident

Air India has aggressively expanded its international flight network in recent years, but this has also led to a consistent flow of passenger complaints. On social media, travelers frequently share images of dirty seats, broken armrests, inadequate entertainment systems, and unclean cabins. In this context, the recent crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad has raised even more questions.

Air India CEO Wilson stated, "this is a difficult day for all of us." He also mentioned that the investigation will take time. Air India encountered issues with its Dreamliner in 2013 due to battery problems. At that time, the state-owned airline had to ground its Dreamliner fleet for a period due to these battery issues. The airline had about six such aircraft in its possession then. Additionally, the airline received compensation from Boeing for these troubles.

Vibhuti Deora, a former legal expert with India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, commented that Air India needs to purchase new aircraft and maintain them better to survive. He emphasized the need for proper maintenance, noting that Air India has a troubled history. During government ownership, a Boeing 737 aircraft from Dubai overshot the runway at a domestic airport in 2010 and crashed into a ditch, resulting in the deaths of 158 people. In 2020, a plane from its low-cost unit, Air India Express, skidded off a runway in India, claiming the lives of 21 individuals.

Air India is already ranked as the worst airline for flight delays in the UK. In 2024, its flights departed approximately 46 minutes late on average, according to data from the Civil Aviation Authority reported by the PA news agency in May. Financially, Air India is also struggling; it has posted losses since at least the financial year 2019-20. In 2023-24, Air India reported a net loss of $520 million on sales of $4.6 billion.

Boeing's Dreamliner, regarded as the best choice for long-haul flights, took to the skies 14 years ago, and now more than 1,100 such aircraft are in service. On Thursday, an Air India plane crashed, resulting in the deaths of 241 people on board. This incident marked the first time the best-selling wide-body Dreamliner, or Boeing 787, suffered a fatal accident. According to the aviation analytics firm Cirium, the Boeing 787-8 aircraft involved in the accident - VT-ANB - was 11.5 years old and had accumulated over 41,000 flight hours. Globally, there are 1,148 Boeing 787s in service, with an average age of 7.5 years.

Currently, only Air India and IndiGo operate B787s in India. Of the 34 B787s in Air India's fleet, 27 are older B787-8 models. The first B787-8 will be sent for retrofit in July. The remaining seven B787-9s joined Air India's fleet following its merger with Vistara last year. According to Cirium, Air India has placed an order for 20 additional B787s and has also issued a letter of intent for options for 24 more aircraft. Recently, IndiGo has begun operating B787s leased from Norwegian carrier Norse Atlantic, planning to lease a total of six such aircraft for long-haul operations.