On June 12, an Air India flight number AI171, originally scheduled to fly to London, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport in India. Of the 242 people on board, only one person survived the crash. Following the incident, a man claimed that he had been a passenger on the same aircraft prior to the crash and noticed that the cabin’s air conditioning and “everything” was not functioning properly.
According to a report by the New York Post, a man named Akash Vatsa posted on social media platform X, stating that two hours before the doomed flight took off from Ahmedabad, he flew on the same plane from Delhi to Ahmedabad and observed abnormalities inside the cabin.
(Vatsa’s post can be viewed here)
Vatsa shared a video showing that the air conditioning system in the cabin was completely non-functional, the screens in front of the seats were inoperative, and the call buttons were unresponsive. He captured these scenes to alert Air India of the issues.
In the video, Vatsa expressed, “The air conditioning is not working at all. As usual, your TV screens are also not working, and even the call button for the flight attendants is unusable.” He also mentioned that due to the air conditioning failure, passengers were “sweating profusely,” which he believes contributes to why “Air India is considered one of the worst airlines in the world.”
The video also revealed other visible malfunctions, such as loose parts under the seats, damaged components, and signs of inadequate maintenance.
Vatsa also shared a photo of a boarding pass, claimed to be from his AI423 flight that departed from Delhi to Ahmedabad at 8:50 AM on June 12. The seat number on the boarding pass was 25A, which was 11 rows away from the seat 11A of the sole survivor of the crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh.
Ramesh is currently hospitalized and receiving treatment. He told local media, “30 seconds after takeoff, there was a loud noise, and then the plane crashed. Everything happened too fast.”
In another post, Vatsa announced that he refused to board Air India’s flight back to Delhi on the evening of June 12.
Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the crash. It is believed that the Boeing 787 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff due to some technical malfunction.
Indian media outlet “Mathrubhumi News” reported that the crashed plane had been grounded in December 2024 due to significant technical issues, leaving nearly 300 passengers stranded. Despite the aircraft later resuming operations, the incident sparked criticism of maintenance deficiencies and flight safety procedures.
The Boeing 787 aircraft entered service in 2011, with airlines worldwide purchasing over 1,000 of them. This Air India crash marks the first time this aircraft model has crashed.