Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirms black box recovered

In his first public statement following Thursday’s tragic Air India crash in Ahmedabad, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that data from the aircraft’s black box is being decoded and will be key in uncovering the cause of the accident. He said multiple agencies and high-level investigation panels are now fully engaged in a thorough probe.

“This is an extremely serious matter, and the Ministry is treating it with the utmost urgency,” Naidu said during the briefing. “The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) was immediately mobilised. The Director General of AAIB rushed to the site to assess the situation firsthand. One significant update from the technical investigation is that the black box was recovered from the wreckage around 5 PM yesterday.”

He added that the AAIB believes decoding the black box will offer critical insights into what happened in the moments leading up to the crash. “We’re all waiting for the findings of the AAIB’s full investigation. This data will help us understand what exactly went wrong,” he said.

Highlighting India's aviation safety protocols, Naidu emphasized that the country maintains strict standards. “India has a robust aviation safety framework. In light of this crash, we’ve ordered enhanced surveillance of the Boeing 787 fleet. There are 34 such aircraft in India, and inspections have already begun. Eight have been checked, and the rest will be done on an urgent basis,” he stated.

Also speaking at the briefing, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha noted that prior to the crash, the aircraft had completed its Paris-Delhi-Ahmedabad route without incident. “There were no issues reported during the Paris to Delhi to Ahmedabad journey. The crash occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad,” he said.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI 171 to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel and canteen complex in Ahmedabad’s Meghaninagar area just minutes after takeoff. The crash claimed 270 lives, including nearly everyone on board and several on the ground.