National News: What happened in Ahmedabad on Thursday shook the entire country. Air India's state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which took off from Delhi, became a part of a heartbreaking accident in just a few hours. A few minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, the plane crashed on the BJ Medical College campus located in the Meghaninagar area, ending many lives forever.
Flight timeline and technical questions
This aircraft took off from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 10:07 am and landed in Ahmedabad at 11:16 am. From there, it was to fly to London, the deadline for which was 1:10 pm. But the aircraft was able to take off at 1:38 pm with a delay of about 28 minutes.
Experts believe that a thorough technical check of a large aircraft like the Dreamliner is not possible in such a short interval. Especially when it is departing on a long international flight. In such a situation, the question arises: were the necessary safety and technical standards followed during this time?
Doubt on maintenance process
According to sources, the maintenance of the aircraft was with the old engineering staff of Air India. While after privatization it was expected that all technical protocols would be implemented in a modern way. But this accident is probably pointing towards the fact that there has been a mistake somewhere.
Special scanning technology is used in the examination of the Dreamliner, in which every part of the aircraft is scanned by a machine and the flaws are identified. This process is completed in 5-6 hours, but there was only a gap of two hours in Ahmedabad that day.
The impact of the accident and human loss
The crash of the plane was not just a technical accident but became a lifelong pain for many families. 68-year-old BJP leader and former Chief Minister of Gujarat Vijay Rupani died in the accident. He was traveling in business class. Apart from him, dozens of passengers and people present on the ground became victims of this accident.
The fire in the plane spread so fast that no one got a chance to escape. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the burning of fuel generated so much temperature that it was not possible to even identify the bodies. The official number of dead will be known only after DNA testing.
Help and condolences
The Tata Group has expressed grief over the accident and announced a compensation of Rs 1 crore to the families of the deceased and to bear the entire cost of treatment of the injured. Air India and the Civil Aviation Ministry have issued emergency helpline numbers, while the Indian embassies in Britain and Portugal have also shared helpline numbers.
This accident is not just a technical mistake but a warning for the entire aviation system. Questions will keep arising until the investigation is completed. But it is certain that this tragedy has taken away the flights of dozens of families—forever.
