AHMEDABAD, (India): The ill-fated Air India flight AI171 bound for London’s Gatwick Airport that crashed minutes after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday (June 12) is the first Boeing 787 Dreamliner to crash since the plane’s introduction in 2011.

The aircraft earned the reputation of being fuel-efficient, innovative design, and enhanced passenger comfort.

It is widely used for long-haul routes by American Airlines, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, United Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Air India too which added it to its fleet in December 2012.

The ill-fated aircraft, registered as VT-ANB, entered into service in December 2013 and is considered relatively young for a wide body jet.

It was one of 27 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners in Air India’s fleet. Earlier in the day, the aircraft had flown into Ahmedabad from New Delhi.

The London-bound service was operated as a codeshare with Singapore Airlines, an equity partner of Air India.

Meanwhile, Boeing, in a statement on X, said, “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”

However, the company had faced allegations by whistleblower John Barnett, a former quality manager at the company.

He had raised several safety concerns about Boeing’s manufacturing practices, especially related to the 787 Dreamliner.

Barnett claimed that the workers were forced to install sub-standard parts to meet deadlines by Boeing.

He also claimed that defective parts were retrieved from scrap bins and fitted to aircraft.

In another shocking revelation, he flagged that up to 25 per cent of emergency oxygen systems on the 787 could fail in flight.

However, as of now, it is unclear if those reported issues are linked, in any way, to the Air India crash. - The Statesman/ANN