The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has convened a crucial meeting at Parliament House Annexe to conduct an overall review of civil aviation safety in India. This meeting comes in the wake of the tragic Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad that claimed 241 lives, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.

Committee Chairman Sanjay Kumar Jha is leading the discussions, which include Air India CEO Campbell Wilson and top officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

On Tuesday, members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) also raised serious concerns over aviation safety standards, as well as the sudden spike in flight fares from Srinagar to other cities following the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.

The fatal incident occurred on June 12 when Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The aircraft struck the BJ Medical College hostel building, resulting in 241 fatalities out of the 242 people on board.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted its preliminary report to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and other authorities. Notably, this investigation marks the first time India has domestically decoded black box data. Officials confirmed that the crash protection module (CPM) from one of the black boxes was retrieved and successfully downloaded at the AAIB Lab in Delhi on June 25, using an identical unit known as a "golden chassis" to verify the data.

The investigation is being led by the AAIB Director General and involves a multidisciplinary team, including experts from the Indian Air Force, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), aviation medicine, air traffic control, and the US-based National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the designated body from the aircraft’s country of design.

Meanwhile, efforts to identify victims have concluded. Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Rakesh Joshi confirmed, “A total of 254 DNA matches were done, all identified and handed over. Six were identified through facial recognition.” All 260 bodies from the crash have now been returned to their families.

As scrutiny intensifies, the Parliament panel’s review aims to ensure that aviation safety protocols are thoroughly examined to prevent such tragedies in the future, while also addressing concerns around fare hikes in sensitive situations.