Parl panel discusses Air India crash, MPs demand timeline of blackbox analysis

Top officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry and major airline operators were on Tuesday questioned by the members of a parliamentary panel over the fatal Air India crash in Ahmedabad and the steep spike in Kashmir airfares following the April Pahalgam terror attack.

The meeting was held by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), headed by senior Congress leader KC Venugopal, to examine the subject of “levy and regulation of fees, tariffs, user charges, etc., on public infrastructure and other public utilities”, as per the Lok Sabha agenda. However, several MPs used the opportunity to raise concerns over aviation safety, pricing irregularities, and regulatory oversight.

Sources said multiple committee members brought up the June 12 crash of Air India Flight AI-117, which killed around 260 people shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London. The lawmakers questioned the Civil Aviation Ministry over the delay in publishing findings and demanded a timeline for the analysis of the aircraft's black boxes.

Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson was among those present at the session, alongside senior officials from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Airports Authority of India (AAI), and the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

While the official agenda focused on tariff regulation and fee structures, the session turned into a broader discussion on institutional accountability in India’s aviation sector — from safety lapses to pricing ethics.

The sharp increase in Srinagar-bound airfares after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, in which 26 pilgrims were killed, also triggered strong reactions. Some MPs alleged profiteering by airlines during national tragedies and demanded the DGCA intervene to cap predatory fares.

Adding to the scrutiny, a few lawmakers also called for a detailed audit of the BCAS, India’s aviation security regulator, citing the need to assess its functioning and preparedness in the face of repeated safety and procedural concerns.