Data from the black boxes of the Air India Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad has been successfully downloaded, the government confirmed. Preliminary information regarding the accident's causes is expected within the next seven to ten days, with a final report anticipated within a month a significantly swifter timeframe than initially projected. This acceleration follows Prime Minister Modi’s suggestion to examine the black boxes locally at the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) lab in Delhi, rather than sending them to the US. Both the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR), recovered on June 13, and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR), found three days later, were transported to Delhi by the Indian Air Force. Over 20 experts from the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are collaborating with Indian specialists to reconstruct the sequence of events.
In total, 260 victims have been identified and returned to their next of kin, comprising 241 passengers and crew, and 19 individuals tragically killed on the ground. The deceased included 181 Indians, 52 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian national. All samples provided by relatives have now been successfully matched, though analysis continues for any remaining charred samples from the crash site.
For many grieving families, closure arrived in fragments. Yasin Vora received his wife Yasmin Bano’s scorched gold bracelet, later refined into a bar; she had delayed her journey to travel with her nephew and his four-year-old daughter, who also perished. Other relatives recounted receiving a child’s lone shoe, charred clothing, or a single necklace, providing the only tangible links to their loved ones. The Halani family in Anand, who lost three members travelling to the UK, received only a trouser piece and scorched bangles for some, highlighting the profound and incomplete nature of
their closure. Also, the families of the victims are reportedly considering legal action against Air India and Boeing in the US and UK courts. This move aims to secure greater compensation for the crash, which tragically killed 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground on 12 June 2025. Legal proceedings are being explored under the Montreal Convention, which imposes unlimited liability on airlines for such incidents.
Meanwhile, Tata Group has taken disciplinary action against several personnel following public outrage over a video showing Air India SATS executives partying at their Gurugram office on June 20. Four senior officials were suspended, and many others warned, after the video, garnering over 3.8 million views, was widely criticised as deeply inappropriate given the ongoing mourning for the crash victims. Air India SATS, providing ground handling services, publicly expressed its ‘deep regret’ for the lapse in judgment
