(Credit: Air India)
An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India on the afternoon of 12 June 2025, resulting in the deaths of 274 people –– 241 passengers and 33 individuals on the ground.
The aircraft, bound for London, was heavily fuelled for the long-haul flight, which intensified the explosion and subsequent fire upon impact, according to The Times Of India.
According to The Economic Times, the aircraft lost thrust just 36 seconds after take-off and plunged into residential buildings near the perimeter of the airport, causing widespread devastation and a large-scale fire.
Of the 242 people on board, only one person survived — Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national who was seated next to an emergency exit. His survival is being described as miraculous, and he is currently recovering under medical supervision.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, with preliminary findings pointing to a potential power or systems failure.
Risk Perspectives: Layered Failures, Rare Catastrophes
Steve Tunstall, a risk manager with five years of aviation experience at Cathay Pacific, cautions against drawing early conclusions. “It’s far too early for anyone outside the investigation to speculate on the exact cause. But what we do know from aviation history is that catastrophic incidents like this rarely result from a single failure — they’re almost always the outcome of multiple safety layers breaking down simultaneously.”
He referenced the Swiss Cheese Model of accident causation, where various weaknesses or “holes” across systems and procedures align to allow a disaster to unfold. “The lesson for risk managers,” he said, “is that backup systems and controls are only effective if they’re rigorously tested and regularly reviewed. Otherwise, we risk sleepwalking into vulnerabilities.”
Mrunal Pandit, Head Global Insurance at VFS Global, added that organisations must move beyond reactive compliance. “Effective risk control is not about ticking boxes — it’s about anticipating threats, fostering resilience, and embedding safety into every decision and process,” she said. This includes using predictive analytics, stress-testing, and leadership accountability to identify and mitigate emerging risks before they escalate.
Emergency Preparedness and Coordination
Steve emphasised that crisis preparedness across all operational teams — flight crew, ATC, and ground personnel — is non-negotiable in aviation. “These teams carry safety in their DNA, but unless they practise regularly, they’re unlikely to respond with speed and clarity when it counts. Simulation drills are crucial to build that muscle memory.”
Building on this, Mrunal pointed out that fragmented communication and unclear roles often hamper crisis response. “To improve multi-agency collaboration, organisations need centralised command frameworks, interoperable systems, and joint simulations that build trust across agencies,” she said. “Each team’s preparedness reduces operational risk and accelerates recovery.”
The Human Toll: Mental Health as a Risk Priority
Both Steve and Mrunal underscored the emotional impact of tragedies like Flight AI 171. “These events don’t just affect families and passengers — they ripple through entire organisations,” said Steve. “Staff may know someone who was on board, or face pressure to continue working the next day. That takes a toll.”
Mrunal added, “Mental health must be treated as a core operational risk. This means equipping HR teams, embedding psychosocial support into governance, and using data to track employee wellbeing. It’s about building a culture where support is accessible, expected, and sustained — especially in high-impact industries like aviation.”
Looking ahead, both experts agreed that resilience must be proactive and embedded. “You can’t build resilience after a crisis — it has to be there beforehand,” said Steve. “If you’re lucky, you’ll learn from the incident. But ideally, you want systems in place to avoid the incident altogether.”
“Post-crisis resilience means more than rebuilding—it means transformation. Organisations should invest in adaptive leadership, scenario-based planning, and real-time analytics to futureproof their operations. ESG principles and transparent communication are equally vital,” said Mrunal.
As the investigation unfolds, Flight AI 171 serves as a stark reminder of the need for rigorous safety oversight, cross-functional preparedness, and empathetic leadership. While families who have lost loved ones await answers, the aviation sector must act decisively to address the systemic gaps this tragedy has exposed — and take every possible step to prevent such a loss from happening again.
