Thursday’s crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in the Indian city of Ahmedabad has once again put the spotlight on the aircraft maker’s safety record, as ongoing concerns over manufacturing and oversight resurface.
The Air India passenger plane was carrying 242 passengers and crew members and was headed to London’s Gatwick airport, the airline said on social media, adding that passengers and crew were onboard the plane when it crashed.
Operational issues
According to the Aviation Safety Network database, Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes have experienced operational problems in the past with passengers onboard, resulting in injuries. But there has not been a fatality recorded in previous incidents involving the aircraft.
“We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information,” Boeing said in a statement.
The crash comes as Boeing is still wending through a years-long legal saga over two deadly crashes of its 737 Max plane in 2018 and 2019 that killed 346 people. The company reached a deal with the US Justice Department last month, which would spare the company from taking criminal responsibility for the crashes, The New York Times reported.
According to The New York Times, the aircraft manufacturer would still have to admit to obstructing federal oversight, pay a fine, contribute to a fund for the families of the victims and invest in safety and quality programs. The deal, which must still be approved by a judge, was opposed by many of the families of the crash victims.
Separately, the company has faced other prominent safety issues. In January 2024, a hole blew open on a Boeing 737 Max 9 during an Alaska Airlines flight, exposing passengers to forceful winds. Boeing told regulators in August of that year it would redesign the panels to better detect any malfunctions, The New York Times said.
The same year, according to The New York Times, the Federal Aviation Administration said it was investigating claims made by a Boeing engineer who said that sections of the fuselage of the 787 Dreamliner, the model involved in the crash in India on Thursday, were improperly fastened together and could break apart mid-flight after thousands of trips.
At the time, Boeing claimed that it had done extensive testing on the Dreamliner and “determined that this is not an immediate safety of flight issue.”
