PIL before Supreme Court seeks immediate grounding of Air India, other aircrafts unsuitable for international service
A PIL has been filed before Supreme Court of India for immediate grounding of all Air India and all other aircrafts found not fully functional or lacking prescribed facilities for international passenger service until all defects are rectified and airworthiness re certified.
The plea filed by one Ajay Bansal also relies on the petitioner and his wife Veena Bansal's recent travel experience in Business Class on AI 127 from Delhi to Chicago wherein their seats failed to recline properly, the seat-back entertainment systems were entirely non-functional, and air-conditioning did not work until cruising altitude.
Referring to the recent June 12, 2025 Air India Ahmedabad–London flight crash, the petitioner has submitted Air India’s service and safety failures jeopardize passenger lives and comfort, contravene DGCA safety audits, and breach statutory duties under the Act (Section 5 & 7) and Rules.
"...there are number of reports on social media qua whistle blowers who has narrated certain stories qua manufacturers of “Boeing” planes which if proven correct would warrant immediate withdrawal of all Boeing planes and the respondents are required to investigate all such technical aspects comparable to modern security checks as no one can bring back hapiness in the life of the deceased families, thus requires interference of this Hon’ble Court", the plea submits.
Accordingly, the petition filed through Advocate Kuldip Singh seeks directions to formulate and notify, within four weeks, fresh mandatory guidelines for Air India’s and other airlines’s scheduled international and domestic operations, prescribing stringent and periodic functional checks of all cabin equipment (seats, entertainment, climate control), engines, airframes and ancillary systems, consistent with best international standards.
A direction to DGCA to conduct unannounced audits of entire fleet of Air India and other airlines operating in India, with public disclosure of findings and imposition of immediate corrective measures or penalties for non-compliance has also been sought.
An interim prayer to suspend operation of Boeing aircraft of Air India, pending a safety audit within two weeks, in view of the recent crash and reported maintenance backlogs has also been made.
Two weeks back, a letter petition was filed before Supreme Court of India urging Chief Justice of India to take suo moto cognizance of the Air India Flight AI171 crash incident that occurred on 12th June, 2025.
Filed through Advocate Satyam Singh, the petition seeks a direction to the Central Government to immediately announce and disburse interim compensation of Rs. 50 lakhs to each family of the deceased victims, including the victims/resident Doctors present at BJMC Medical College, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
"Direct the Central Government to constitute a High-Level Expert Committee comprising retired Supreme Court/High Court judges, aviation experts, actuaries, and economists to assess and award final compensation to the families of victims, taking into consideration the principles laid down in Triveni Kodkany vs Air India Limited (supra) and other relevant precedents", the petitioners have further prayed.
A direction to Air India Limited to expedite the settlement of compensation claims without requiring families to undergo prolonged litigation has been sought.
On June 12th, a catastrophic crash occurred at Ahmedabad, Gujarat and resulted in the tragic loss of 241 precious lives out of 242 people on board. Within less than one minute of departure, the aircraft's transponder signal was lost, and the aircraft crashed into a densely populated residential area in the Bopal locality of Ahmedabad, approximately 3 kilometers from the airport perimeter and the impact resulted in a massive explosion and fire, causing complete destruction of the aircraft and significant damage to residential properties in the crash zone, the letter petition has submitted.
Case Title: AJAY BANSAL vs. UNION OF INDIA & ORS