‘Accident was waiting to happen; told to change statement’: Air India whistleblowers write to PM Modi

New Delhi: In a fresh twist following the recent crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, two former senior cabin crew members have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alleging wrongful termination after they raised concerns about safety issues in the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

In their letter, the whistleblowers claimed that the accident was foreseeable and that their repeated warnings about technical flaws were dismissed. "The said accident was waiting to happen as our various statements and contentions relating to the technical aspects and defects in the Aircraft – (Dreamliner Aircraft B787/8 Series), were deliberately pulled under the carpet, ignored, overlooked or not considered seriously for reasons best known to Air India Ltd management (AI) and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)..."

The letter points to a 2024 incident involving Dreamliner VT-ANQ, in which the door’s slide raft reportedly deployed on landing in London without manual input. The crew stated that the pilot and cabin members initially confirmed the malfunction, but later, they were allegedly pressured to alter their accounts. When they refused, they claim, they were dismissed without a proper inquiry.

"We fail to understand why an informal discussion instead of an impartial full-fledged enquiry was sought to be conducted by DGCA, the Regulatory Authority, when such a grave incident relating to passenger and crew safety was reported," the letter read.

Describing their outreach to the Prime Minister as their “last hope,” the former crew members have urged for their reinstatement and a comprehensive probe into the Dreamliner’s safety standards.

In response, Air India issued a statement to IANS on Friday, saying the two were dismissed due to misconduct. “The said cabin crew members were terminated for their misconduct and behaviour and continuing to falsify critical information during the course of an investigation,” the airline stated.

“The said investigation was launched after an emergency slide was activated while opening the aircraft door post landing,” Air India clarified.