Air India CEO Promises Safety Reforms Following Fatal Boeing Dreamliner Crash in Ahmedabad

London-bound AI-171 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.

New Delhi:

Air India's CEO Campbell Wilson pledged on Wednesday to enhance the airline's internal procedures following the June crash that claimed 260 lives. These remarks represent his first public statement regarding the accident, which he acknowledged would contribute to a "challenging" year for the carrier.

The Tata Group-owned airline has faced intense scrutiny since the disaster, receiving warning notices for operating aircraft without verifying emergency equipment, failing to replace engine components on schedule, falsifying records, and other violations related to crew fatigue management.

"We're always looking at how we can keep improving," Wilson stated at an Aviation India event in New Delhi, making his first public comments since the Boeing Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad.

"This year will be quite challenging from a business perspective... We're also working with the investigators," he added.

India's air accident investigation agency released a preliminary report earlier this year indicating that the plane's fuel engine switches had nearly simultaneously shifted from run to cutoff position shortly after takeoff.

Air India is also dealing with delayed aircraft deliveries and airspace restrictions due to geopolitical tensions, which have impacted its performance as it works to recover from the crash.

India and Pakistan experienced their most intense military confrontation in decades in May, triggered by an attack on tourists in Indian Kashmir that resulted in 26 fatalities. New Delhi claimed that Islamabad supported the attack, which Pakistan denied.

The two nuclear-armed neighbors have subsequently closed their airspaces to each other's airlines.

"Airspace constraints are a challenge to on-time performance," Wilson noted.