Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) MP Supriya Sule said she will demand a discussion in Parliament on civil aviation and railway safety following the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171. Speaking to reporters in Pune, Sule described the incident as “heartbreaking” and said it has left the nation in shock. "This incident that happened yesterday is truly heartbreaking. We are still in shock... I believe this matter requires serious attention and discussion. When we go to Parliament, we will demand a discussion on safety in civil aviation and railways. I urge the government to release a white paper on civil aviation, detailing what has been done for safety in the past 10 years," she said as quoted by IANS.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had taken off from Ahmedabad for London on Thursday afternoon. It crashed just minutes later in a medical college complex near the airport. The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Only one person survived the crash. The confirmed death toll has risen to 265.
Among the deceased were 69 Indian nationals and 53 British citizens. The passenger list also included seven Portuguese and one Canadian national. The crash also claimed the life of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ordered enhanced safety inspection on Boeing 787-8/9 fleet of Air India. "As a preventive measure, DGCA hereby directs M/s Air India to carry out following additional maintenance actions on 8787-8/9 aircrafts equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect in coordination with the concerned regional DGCA offices," DGCA said in an official release.