NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Monday informed the Rajya Sabha that the AAIB’s investigation into the fatal Air India plane accident in June last year is progressing at a very good pace and the investigation report will be released “very soon”.
Replying to a supplementary query during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Naidu said the ministry was making every effort to ensure flight operations and repatriation of Indians stranded due to the conflict in West Asia.
In response to various queries, the minister told the House that the investigation report into the Air India plane crash would be released soon.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 en route to London-Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 260 people, including 241 people on board. The accident is being investigated by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
“With regard to the AI171 crash that occurred in June last year, the investigation is progressing at a very good pace, and all the resources required for the AAIB, the lead agency looking into the investigation, are being provided by the Ministry.
“I would say that very soon, towards the end of the year, the report will be released,” Naidu said.
Regarding the situation in West Asia and the safety of flight operations, Naidu said that the DGCA immediately contacted the airlines and issued circulars.
“…You can say that they have had multiple meetings with them so that they can only work when they guarantee 100 percent safety when they work at these airports in West Asia,” the minister said.
He added that travel advisories have also been issued to passengers to ensure that there is no confusion.
“From the ministry’s side, I can say to the council that whatever best we can do in terms of safe operations and getting people to travel from those destinations to India, we can do with the help of airlines. They have also been very considerate,” Naidu said.
While noting that airlines were carefully searching for openings to operate services amid the West Asia crisis, the minister said that around 90,000 people were able to fly to India last week itself.
He said, “We see that the situation may improve in the coming days, so that more people can travel via civil aviation.”
The escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has significantly disrupted flight operations due to the closure of airspace in the West Asia region.
Responding to a query on the strategy for the civil aviation sector as part of the goal of India becoming a developed country by 2047, Naidu said 200 more airports are expected to open in the next 20 years.
“I think the country believes, and the Prime Minister believes, that when you want to see a developed country, the civil aviation operation has to be a priority sector. With this vision, we have seen significant growth in the last 12 years,” he said.
Compared to other regions, including the Asia-Pacific region, Naidu said civil aviation in India stands out as the fastest growing and will continue to grow over the next 20 years.
The minister also noted that the number of airports and aircraft has expanded amid the rise in passenger traffic.
Every day, five lakh passengers can travel domestically, other than that, around 1-2 lakh passengers travel internationally. “Our plan for the future is that in the next five years, we want to have 50 more airports, and in the next 20 years, we want to have 200 more airports. So our total number of airports will reach 350,” Naidu said.
Besides airports, the government is working to start seaplanes and enhance helicopter services in the country.
Seeking to dispel concerns over aviation safety, the minister said the DGCA has a “comprehensive, multi-tiered and multi-tiered process” as well as a stringent enforcement system to ensure safety and stressed on following procedures as stated by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Naidu also mentioned that the DGCA has taken various measures to improve its standards, including with the help of digital solutions.
“We have done a tail-tracking programme, where every aircraft is tracked digitally, and all safety oversight, which was usually done on paper, is now tracked digitally to ensure that all compliance of aircraft and airlines is done on time,” the minister said for example.
Another layer of DGCA inspection has also been put in place through monitoring from the central headquarters. “There is double checking on any safety inspections conducted,” Naidu said, adding that feedback from all stakeholders, including the public, is being taken into consideration to further improve existing safety rules and standards.
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