Indian lawmakers to review aviation safety weeks after Air India crash

NEW DELHI — A panel of Indian lawmakers will review safety in the country's civil aviation sector and has invited several industry and government officials to answer questions on July 9, with topics set to include Air India's recent plane crash.

The upper house of India's parliament has asked airport operators, air traffic controllers and airlines including Air India and IndiGo to take part in a comprehensive review of passenger safety, according to a memo drafted for the meeting and seen by Reuters.

The gathering comes after the June 12 Air India disaster that killed 260 people, including 241 on board, when a Boeing 787-8 jet crashed within a minute of take-off from India's Ahmedabad. Investigators are still probing what caused the world's worst aviation accident in a decade.

Though the memo did not mention the crash, R K Chaudhary, a lawmaker on the panel, told Reuters that it planned to discuss the matter internally and during the meeting. "If we will not raise questions on it, they (airlines) will not become vigilant about these issues," he said.

The Indian government has said data from the front recorder of the crashed plane was accessed by a team led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, with the US National Transportation Safety Board.

Air India has been getting warning notices for compliance lapses in recent days.

India's aviation watchdog last month warned the airline over "repeated and serious violations" related to pilot duty scheduling. It has also warned Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue checks on escape slides.

Source: Reuters