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Ahmedabad plane crash: Indore wooman's journey to meet her husband ends in tragedy

In a tragic twist of fate, an Indore woman's loving gesture to celebrate her husband's birthday ended in unthinkable sorrow. Harpreet Kaur Hora advanced her flight to London, only to become one of the 241 passengers on the ill-fated Air India plane that crashed in Ahmedabad.

For Harpreet, a 28-year-old IT professional working in Bengaluru, the journey to London was meant to be a joyous reunion as her husband, Robbie Hora, also an IT professional, awaited her arrival there.

Initially, Harpreet had planned to fly on June 19 but a desire to make his special day unforgettable prompted her to switch to the earlier flight.

"She had made plans to go to London on June 19," recounted her distraught father-in-law's brother, Rajendra Singh Hora.

"However, she booked a ticket on the ill-fated flight to celebrate Robbie's birthday... The couple also had plans to tour Europe. Everything changed in a matter of seconds. It has been devastating for the family." The London-bound flight tragically crashed into a building shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, leaving only one survivor.

This is destiny. All the personal dreams and hopes have vanished in the disaster, a testament to how quickly life's most cherished plans can be shattered, said another of her relatives.

Ahmedabad city police files accidental death case in AI crash

The Ahmedabad city police registered a case of accidental death in the Air India plane crash incident that claimed the lives of 265 people, including 241 passengers and crew members, officials said on Friday. PTI 

Ahmedabad air crash: 13 from Rajasthan among deceased

Thirteen people from Rajasthan were among those killed in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, officials said Friday.

The deceased belonged to seven families from the state -- five each from Banswara and Udaipur, and one each from Barmer, Pali, and Bikaner districts.

Three families were on their way to begin a new life in London, their excitement evident in photos taken just before boarding. Their hopes dashed with the crash.

Khushboo Rajpurohit of Balotara was moving to London to join her husband, Vipul. He had established a business in Ahmedabad and was preparing to shift his entire family abroad.

Dr Prateek Joshi and Dr Koni Vyas from Banswara were also relocating to London with their three children. Prateek had been living alone in London for four years and had recently returned to bring his family with him.

Twenty-year-old Jaiprakash Choudhary, a native of Bor Charanan village in Barmer district, was added to the list of victims Friday.

Jaiprakash was an MBBS student at BJ Medical College, the hostel building of which the plane crashed into. He lived in the hostel and died of injuries he sustained in the crash. His father, Dharmaram, a farmer, had taken a loan to support his son's education.

Jaiprakash had cleared NEET in 2023 and was pursuing his first year of medical studies.

His body was brought to his native village today and consigned to flames in the presence of scores of locals and his family. PTI

Shares of Singapore Airlines nosedive after Ahmedabad crash

Shares of Singapore Airlines (SIA), which holds 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, dropped on the Singapore Exchange on Friday, a day after the Indian carrier's plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Shares of SIA closed at SGD 6.94 on Friday, down 1.28 per cent over its previous close.

Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, operating a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed soon after the take-off on Thursday afternoon. Out of the 242 people on board the plane, only one person survived.

Meanwhile, Aviation watchdog DGCA on Friday ordered enhanced safety inspection of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet powered by GEnx engines, a day after 241 people onboard died in the plane crash in Ahmedabad.

The enhanced DGCA inspection will include checks of various systems and a review of take-off parameters of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft of Air India, owned by Tata Group.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Air India to carry out additional maintenance actions on its Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 planes equipped with Genx engines with immediate effect.

These actions will be carried out in coordination with the DGCA regional offices concerned. PTI

Tata Group should fine tune of Air India's operations : Praful Patel

Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel on Friday said the Tata Group needs to fine-tune key aspects of Air India's operations, including maintenance, in the wake of the crash of its Dreamliner aircraft in Ahmedabad.

"After three-and-a-half years of the takeover of Air India by the Tatas, the management needs to fine-tune various aspects of running a world-class airline, including maintenance," Patel told reporters here.

Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI171) carrying 242 passengers including 12 crew members crashed in the Meghaninagar area shortly after the take-off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, killing 241 persons on board and others who were on the ground.

The accident is being probed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) which comes under the civil aviation ministry.

Terming the accident as a temporary setback, Patel said India's aviation sector remains largely well-managed.

A Rajya Sabha MP, Patel headed the civil aviation ministry from 2004-2011 in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government.

Tata Sons took control of the government-owned Air India in January 2022, after winning bids for the airline acquisition.

"SOPs and safety norms are well in place in India's aviation growth," Patel further said.

"I don't think passengers should be scared of air travel. This is because India's overall safety standards are well-defined and DGCA keeps updating these norms in line with international norms," the NCP leader added.

To a question about India's Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capacity, Patel expressed concern over "under-utilisation" of domestic facilities.

"We have a world-class set-up, but it is surprising why some planes of Air India are sent outside the country for maintenance," he said.

Stating that Boeing's MRO facility at Nagpur has a good track record, he said its services should be fully utilised.

"However, the facility has been under-utilised," he remarked.

On the possible cause of Thursday's crash, Patel said bird hit was a distant possibility. "Even if one of the two engines had failed, technically the plane is equipped to take off and travel the full distance....Watching the video, it seems there was no problem at the time of take-off; otherwise the pilot would have avoided it," Patel said. PTI 

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