10 Deadly Crashes Air India Has Faced Since Independence, Claiming Hundreds of Lives

Ahmedabad, June 12, 2025 — A sense of déjà vu haunts the nation yet again as Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad on its way to London. Carrying 242 passengers and crew, the aircraft suffered a sudden technical malfunction and lost altitude before crashing near the city’s Meghani area. Rescue teams have confirmed multiple fatalities, and the toll is expected to rise.

Among the deceased are medical students, senior professionals, and a former bureaucrat, adding another layer of tragedy to the nation’s grief.

This marks India’s first fatal Dreamliner crash and the 10th fatal accident involving Air India since Independence. For a national carrier that once symbolized the aspirations of a newly independent nation, this crash casts a long, sorrowful shadow over its legacy.


Air India, once known as the “Maharaja of the skies,” has seen its reputation erode over time—not just due to financial mismanagement and bureaucratic delays, but more tragically, due to a repeated history of fatal air crashes. Since 1950, the airline has been involved in multiple high-fatality accidents, often involving modern aircraft and in-flight anomalies.

Below is a detailed timeline of Air India’s 10 major fatal crashes, stretching across continents and decades.

• Aircraft: Boeing 747-237B
• Route: Montreal–London–Delhi
• Location: Mid-air explosion over the Atlantic Ocean, near Ireland
• Fatalities: 329 (All onboard)
• Cause: Terrorist bombing

The bomb, planted by Sikh extremists based in Canada, exploded mid-air. This remains India’s deadliest air disaster and Canada’s worst act of aviation terrorism. It also led to widespread changes in global aviation security.

• Aircraft: Boeing 747-237B
• Route: Mumbai–Dubai
• Location: Crashed into the Arabian Sea moments after takeoff
• Fatalities: 213
• Cause: Instrument failure and spatial disorientation

The captain misread a faulty instrument, banked the plane too sharply, and lost control. It remains one of the worst technical failure-related accidents in Indian aviation history.

• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
• Route: Dubai–Mangalore
• Location: Mangalore Airport
• Fatalities: 158 (8 survived)
• Cause: The aircraft overshot the tabletop runway, fell into a gorge, and caught fire.

This crash exposed serious human error, with the pilot ignoring automated warnings and fatigue playing a crucial role.

• Aircraft: Boeing 707-437
• Route: Mumbai–London
• Location: Crashed into Mont Blanc, French Alps
• Fatalities: 117
• Cause: Controlled flight into terrain due to navigational error

Among the deceased was Dr. Homi Jehangir Bhabha, India’s foremost nuclear scientist. The loss was both scientific and nationalistic, feeding conspiracy theories even today.

• Aircraft: Lockheed Constellation
• Route: Mumbai–London
• Location: Crashed into the same Mont Blanc
• Fatalities: 48

The aircraft crashed due to poor weather and lack of modern avionics. The crash site, eerily close to the 1966 crash, remains symbolic of Air India’s grim association with Mont Blanc.

• Aircraft: Boeing 707
• Route: Kuala Lumpur–Mumbai
• Location: Mumbai
• Fatalities: 17
• Cause: Aircraft undershot the runway due to a monsoon storm

Though relatively lower in fatalities, this crash emphasized the risks of landing in torrential Indian monsoons and led to better weather forecasting and runway lighting systems.

• Aircraft: Boeing 737-800
• Route: Dubai–Kozhikode
• Fatalities: 21
• Cause: Overshooting of the runway during heavy rainfall

The aircraft was part of the Vande Bharat repatriation mission during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two pilots, hailed as heroes, died trying to save passengers.

• Aircraft: Boeing 707
• Location: On approach to landing
• Fatalities: Moderate
• Cause: Loss of control on final approach

This incident set a precedent for stricter approach-to-landing protocols.

Several lesser-known crashes involving Air India Cargo and subsidiary flights have also occurred with fatal outcomes, although not always involving large numbers of passengers. These include incidents due to bird strikes, engine fires, and mid-air collisions.

• Aircraft: Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Route: Ahmedabad to London
• Fatalities: Dozens confirmed (Exact toll under investigation)
• Significance: First fatal Dreamliner crash in Indian aviation history
• Eyewitness Accounts: Reports of loud engine noise, sparks, and a sudden nosedive moments after takeoff
• Status: Investigation underway by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Boeing’s crisis response team.

Despite being a legacy airline with a long history and access to state-of-the-art aircraft, Air India’s safety reputation has come under sustained scrutiny. Factors often blamed include:

• Pilot fatigue and misjudgments
• Aging aircraft and slow fleet modernization
• Maintenance lapses
• Weather mismanagement, especially during monsoons
• Operational inefficiencies post-privatization efforts

Over the years, several aviation watchdogs have warned of inadequate safety protocols, often citing Air India’s lack of automation adaptation and slow reaction to near-miss incidents.

Since its nationalization in 1953, Air India was more of a state enterprise than a competitive airline, burdened by red tape, political interference, and poor HR practices. While the 2022 privatization effort—transferring ownership to Tata Sons—was expected to revive the brand, the safety record has remained underwhelming.

The AI-171 crash is now a litmus test for how the new management handles crises. Families of the deceased are already demanding:

• A transparent investigation
• Full public disclosure of black box data
• Compensation structures
• A complete audit of Dreamliner aircraft operating under Air India

Behind each of these crashes lie stories of shattered families, lost careers, and unfulfilled dreams. In the latest tragedy, many passengers aboard AI-171 were:

• Young Indian medical students heading for postgraduate programs
• Senior consultants bound for international conferences
• A retired civil servant traveling to attend a family function in London

Vigils are being held across Gujarat and Maharashtra. Social media is flooded with tributes, images of the deceased, and questions aimed at Air India’s safety and ethics.

While every crash results in a wave of reforms, India's aviation safety record continues to be challenged. Regulatory bodies like DGCA, AAI, and international aviation boards must now re-evaluate:

• Pilot training frameworks
• Technical audits of long-haul aircraft
• Mental health and fatigue monitoring of crews
• Emergency response speed and coordination
• Aircraft leasing standards

The crash of Air India Flight AI-171 is not just another entry in the annals of air disasters—it is a painful reminder of unresolved issues that have plagued the national carrier for decades. In a country aspiring to become a global aviation hub, such incidents tarnish national image, undermine passenger confidence, and raise concerns far beyond technical errors.

It is no longer enough to honor the dead with silence and compensation. India—and Air India—must now confront the ghosts of the past, answer for the present, and prepare responsibly for the future.