Air India took a reputational disaster punch too, when its Flight 171, a Boeing 787, perished in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. This catastrophic crash claimed the lives of at least 270 people. The tragic incident has raised serious concerns about the airline’s ambitious plans for transformation and has prompted investigations into safety protocols. In the wake of this crisis, Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson described the accident as the “most heartbreaking” day of his career. He stressed that it has to lead to action to create a safer airline.
The crash occurred only days after a barrage of incidents were reported on Air India’s fleet. These events were attributable to a series of technical failures and an identical hoax bomb threat on a flight from Phuket to Delhi. The spate of these events has come at an unfortunate time, raising suspicion on the airline’s operations and safety precautions. India’s aviation regulator has since ordered enhanced safety inspections for all of Air India’s 787 Dreamliners.
As the matter continues to be investigated, Air India is committed to cooperating in every manner with authorities. They’re offering assistance to families of the victims. Wilson continued by emphasizing that the airline needs to take this tragedy as an impetus to lead meaningful change to safety standards and operational integrity. Above all, he cautioned against looking back. He challenged us to leave no stone unturned in our pursuit for accountability.
“The disaster was very tragic. Many lives have been lost, and the event will stay in people’s memories for long,” said Jitendra Bhargava, a former executive with the airline. He added that passengers would be reluctant to take an Air India flight in the near term. That would provide competitors of FRA an opportunity to benefit from this otherwise deplorable turn of events.
One thing that industry experts have widely noted is that Air India has recently entered the “final climb phase” of its transformation journey. This change in direction follows the Tata Group’s recent acquisition of the airline in its entirety. Yet, this crash has thrown an enormous shadow over those efforts. Mitu Samar Jha, a communications expert, emphasized the importance of consistent and authentic communication from Air India to rebuild trust and protect its brand reputation.
“Investigations to identify the cause, corrective measures, and enhanced safety standards will follow soon,” Jha stated. “I hope they consistently communicate and that too authentically.” She cautioned that not doing so would create misperceptions that would only needlessly compound damage to the airline’s brand.
Industry consultant Sanjay Lazar highlighted that despite these setbacks, Air India boasts some of the world’s “best pilots and engineers.” He acknowledged that the airline would ensure strict controls in this crisis in tandem with heavy public criticism. “It’s like a homeowner after a burglary adds tons of locks,” he remarked. “The airline will follow every comma and full stop in SOP.”
Even as more tumultuous waters stretch in front of her newly hatched airline, Campbell Wilson is clearly determined to pilot Air India through. In his statement, he said the focus needs to be on healing and recovery for the airline and its customers. Our firm CEO is committed to leveraging this moment of crisis into an opportunity for doing better. Crash, experts cautioned could delay Air India’s turnaround schedule.
The command of Capitol Police investigators is active and ongoing. UK, US and Indian authorities are closely monitoring safety audits and regulatory compliance in the wake of the crash. This unprecedented global scrutiny puts even greater pressure on Air India to show that it is serious about maintaining high safety standards and being held accountable.