The crash of Air India flight AI171 has shaken confidence in air travel and triggered a flood of questions during a recent Independent Q&A.
It was the first fatal accident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, an aircraft that had safely carried more than a billion passengers since entering service in 2011. But on 12 June, just moments after take-off from Ahmedabad, the flight bound for London Gatwick crashed. Only one of the 242 people on board survived. Dozens more died on the ground.
Unease has grown following a series of high-profile incidents, the most recent of which being a crash of a small aircraft at Southend Airport, which has forced the hub to shut “until further notice”.
The Dutch operator Zeusch Aviation said its SUZ1 flight had been involved in a crash, and witnesses described a fireball erupting as the plane hit the ground. An investigation is ongoing.
Preliminary findings on the Air India disaster have ruled out mechanical or maintenance issues with the aircraft or its engines. Air India has confirmed that its entire 787 fleet was inspected following the crash and all aircraft were cleared to fly.
While the pilots passed their pre-flight breathalyser tests and no health concerns were flagged, investigators revealed that both fuel cutoff switches had been flipped shortly after takeoff, shutting down the aircraft’s engines. The pilots’ association has rejected suggestions of human error, and the families of victims say they remain unconvinced by the early conclusions.
As always in the early stages of an investigation, aviation safety experts are considering a wide spectrum of possible contributory factors. Lessons learned will eventually be shared with the wider industry – that’s how aviation safety improves: by understanding the causes of past tragedies.
The same process will be undertaken following the crash at Southend.
Several readers asked whether flying is still safe, whether budget airlines cut corners, and if Boeing can still be trusted. Others asked about the world’s riskiest airports and how to stay calm in the face of fear. These are important questions – and the answers matter more now than ever.
Below are selected highlights from the Ask Me Anything in June, where I responded as directly and clearly as possible. For those who want to go deeper, you can sign up to my weekly AMA email, exclusively for Independent Premium subscribers.
Q: Are some seats safer than others?
anonymous
A lot of attention has focused on seat 11A, where the sole survivor of the Air India crash was located. But there is no such thing as a guaranteed safest seat on an aircraft. As veteran safety experts like to say: “Tell me what sort of accident you’re planning to have, and I’ll tell you the safest place to sit.”
The most useful contribution every passenger can make is to pay full attention to the safety briefing. Make it “muscle memory” to know where your nearest exit is – and under no circumstances stop to collect your cabin baggage.
Q: Are some airports riskier than others?
Sophieeeeeee
A: Airports are extremely variable in the degree of challenge they present to pilots. Some in Europe and worldwide require special training. These include Innsbruck in Austria, Dubrovnik in Croatia and Funchal in Madeira. But that doesn’t make them more dangerous: as with so much in aviation, providing extra training is part of designing out risk.
Tragically, there is one part of the world where the terrain is difficult and where accidents happen far too frequently: Nepal. However, while the airports are extremely challenging, procedures and training should mitigate the risk.
Q: How do you stay calm and realistic about flight safety?
SimonL
A: Look at the numbers. On that tragic Thursday, 12 June, more than 270 people lost their lives aboard Air India flight 171 and on the ground. Yet the same day, far more road users in India died in accidents. You are far safer on an aircraft than on the roads – in any part of the world – and in Europe, crashes are extraordinarily rare.
Q: If I ever feel something's off during a flight, is there anything I can actually do?
Jase
A: Aviation has many cases in which passengers have alerted crew to a dangerous situation, and you should certainly speak up if you consider the safety of the aircraft is jeopardised.
Q: Should we worry about flying on a Boeing?
Colette Austin
A: Boeing has made thousands of superb aircraft. I would not hesitate to fly on one of its planes. The world's safest airline (in terms of passengers carried without a fatal accident), Ryanair, flies only Boeing 737 aircraft.
But in the past decade, its safety culture has been called into question. Shocking shortcomings at the plane manufacturer were exposed in the aftermath of two fatal crashes of the Boeing 737 Max.
The fatally flawed design led to the temporary grounding of the aircraft worldwide, and in 2024 another incident, in which a door plug burst open at 16,000 feet, triggered further investigations.
This is the first fatal accident involving the 787. Soon after it entered service in 2011, concerns over the fire risk from lithium batteries led to a temporary grounding. More than 1,000 Boeing 787 aircraft are in service with dozens of international airlines, including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, both of which have exemplary safety records.
Q: Are budget airlines just as safe as the big names?
Sophieeeeeee
A: “If you think safety is expensive, try having an accident” – that is the standard response to such questions, and I think it is fair. The second-safest airline worldwide, after Ryanair, is easyJet. Both are focused on keeping costs down. But safety is paramount.
Q: Are there parts of the world where you’d personally think twice about flying, because of safety standards?
SammyW
Nepal figures disproportionately heavily in the accident statistics. But even there, you are safer in the sky than on the roads.
In Iran and Russia, international sanctions mean that aircraft are not being maintained to the appropriate levels. And small airlines with old aircraft – such as those in parts of Africa – do not inspire confidence, particularly during stormy weather in tropical
The European Union has a useful list of airlines that are banned from EU airspace.
They include Air Zimbabwe, numerous Afghan, Iranian and Iraqi aircraft, plus carriers based in Armenia, Congo, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Nepal, Sudan, Suriname and Tanzania.
These questions and answers were part of an ‘Ask Me Anything’ hosted by Simon Calder at 1pm BST on Wednesday, 18 June. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.
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