When it comes to risks, there is no mode of travel safer than air travel. The more it expands, the faster the pace of the country’s development.
Soon after the plane crash in Ahmedabad, many well-wishers and friends pointed out to me, “You travel by air far too often!” They didn’t say it outright but their concern was over aviation safety. I explained to them that this was just an accident. Actually, air travel is still the safest mode of transport. If we analyse the data, we find that globally the chances of dying in air travel are only one in 1.10 crore, whereas in road accidents the chances are much higher!
I gave them more statistics to prove how safe air travel is. For instance, in India, 1.80 lakh people died in road accidents last year. Even in train travel, India sees an average of 20,000 deaths every year. In comparison, air travel seems entirely safe. Yet, there are some questions that continue to bother me, especially after the Ahmedabad plane crash. When we look at the scale of air passengers, India is currently ranked third in the world. The highest number of air passengers is in the United States followed by China in the second position. In the financial year ending March 2025, the number of domestic air travellers in India had reached 16.54 crore. This figure is 7.6% higher than in 2023-2024. And this number will only continue to grow, especially since many small towns are still awaiting operational flight services despite having airports. So, the big question is: Why is India still laggard in terms of aviation safety? I say ‘laggard’ because we rank 48th.
Normally, we Indians might find comfort in the fact that in 2018 we were ranked 102nd and by 2022, we had moved up to 48th position. But my question is: If we are so high in the number of passengers, shouldn’t we be equally robust in terms of air safety? The Government of India did update many old regulations in 2024 and that is likely to make a significant difference. However, small lapses often give rise to big concerns. For example, the incident at Nagpur Airport where a portion of the ceiling suddenly collapsed one day. Fortunately, there was no major disaster, but some passengers were injured. The aviation sector is known for its zero-tolerance policy towards safety lapses. So how did the ceiling collapse? Clearly, something went wrong during construction. There are many more such incidents to quote.
The reasons behind the recent Air India plane crash shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport are still not clear. However, a video recorded by a passenger on the same flight during its Delhi-Ahmedabad leg earlier that day was alarming. The video showed that none of the buttons were working. Passengers were visibly distressed due to the non-functional air-conditioning system. Was the aircraft thoroughly inspected after it landed in Ahmedabad? If an aircraft crashes somewhere, it clearly indicates that there has been a lapse somewhere! There are many major examples of such lapses recorded in aviation history. Let me remind you of some incidents of air crash in India so that you can understand the seriousness of the situation. On January 1, 1978, an Air India Boeing 747 bound for Dubai crashed into the sea right after taking off from Mumbai. All 213 people on board were killed. The cause was cited as a technical malfunction and the pilot’s confused reaction. In April 1993, an Indian Airlines plane collided with a truck on the runway during takeoff in Aurangabad. Overloading and pilot error were identified as the cause of the crash. Let me also remind you of the August 2020 incident at Kozhikode International Airport where an aircraft overshot the runway during landing and plunged into a valley. The plane broke apart. Some 21 people on board, including both pilots, lost their lives. Before that, in 1990, an Indian Airlines flight crashed near Bengaluru Airport, killing 92 passengers. That incident too was attributed to pilot error.
I am a frequent flyer. From my personal experience, I can say that air travel in India is not as pleasant or comfortable as foreign airlines. Forget about air turbulence, there are times when landings are so rough that passengers are literally jolted out of their seats. There’s a lot that can be said, but in short, India’s aviation industry urgently needs to apply a real zero-tolerance policy on several critical matters.
Isn’t it shameful that not a single Indian airport figures among the top 25 airports across the globe? In terms of traffic, Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi ranks 9th in the world, yet it only appears at number 32 in the list of best airports. And one final question: Why have 10 airlines in India shut down between 2006 and 2024? There are many such questions, many concerns. But you go ahead and fly without worry. Because, after all, air travel is still the fastest and safest mode of travel!