Since the Tata takeover, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation has repeatedly fined Air India over safety and other regulatory violations, including an Rs8mn ($95,000) penalty last year for exceeding flight duty time limits. At home, it is competing in a near-duopoly with IndiGo, which has been boosting its international long-haul routes.

Vishwash Kumar Ramesh was the sole survivor of the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week and he was sitting in an exit row, but an expert attributes Ramesh’s survival largely to the “luck of th

Mohol said the panel, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, will examine all possible factors behind the disaster, including mechanical failure, human error, and compliance with safety regulations.

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Based on images of the Air India crash that killed over 200 people in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, experts predicted a difficult recovery and investigation operation exacerbated by the risks of unstable structures and gas leaks.

Earlier on Thursday, a London Air India flight crashed in Ahmedabad at around 1.39 pm, killing 229 passengers and 12 crew members on board.