Air India denies fired crew’s claim of safety cover-up

Air India has strongly denied allegations made by two former flight attendants who claimed that they were dismissed for reporting a safety-related technical malfunction in a Boeing Dreamliner aircraft and refusing to alter their statements under pressure.

The airline company said the duo was terminated for misconduct, falsifying critical information and misrepresenting facts during an internal investigation.

The controversy stems from an incident that took place on May 14, 2024, involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANQ) operating flight AI-129 from Mumbai to London.

According to the former crew members, the aircraft’s emergency slide raft deployed even though the door was opened in “manual” mode — a malfunction they say was initially acknowledged by both the aircraft commander and the cabin-in-charge.

In a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the attendants alleged they were pressured by senior airline officials to change their statements about the alleged malfunction of the Dreamliner’s door. “We were threatened with termination and eventually dismissed within 48 hours,” the letter states, claiming the door was not in the armed mode and the incident pointed to a technical fault in the Dreamliner aircraft.

However, Air India dismissed the accusations as baseless and misleading. In a detailed statement, the airline said: “The said cabin crew members were terminated for their misconduct and behaviour and continuing to falsify critical information during the course of an investigation. The investigation was launched after an emergency slide was activated while opening the aircraft door post landing.”

The airline said the door could not have been opened in manual mode if the slide deployed, as was clearly established through data, image and video evidence, and independent third-party experts.

“The two former employees were given multiple fair opportunities to reconsider their statements, which may have been given inadvertently, as revealed in the investigations undertaken,” the statement said, adding that their continued falsehoods are now being linked “regrettably” to the tragic crash of flight AI171 on June 12 this year, which claimed 272 lives.

The airline reiterated its commitment to safety and adherence to standard operating procedures, calling the allegations an attempt to exploit public sentiment in the wake of the AI171 tragedy.