Ahmedabad plane crash: Final investigation report will come soon, AAIB informed the Supreme Court

The final draft report of the accident investigation is likely to be ready by October this year.

New Delhi. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has informed the Supreme Court that the final draft report of the investigation into the Air India flight (flight number AI-171) crash that occurred in Ahmedabad in June 2025 is likely to be ready by October this year. 260 people lost their lives in this tragic accident.

In a detailed affidavit filed in the apex court, the investigating bureau has said that a case of a serious accident involving an international flight is not the subject of a mere domestic investigation. This is an international level investigation, conducted under the Chicago Convention (the global treaty regulating international civil aviation) and Annex 13 of the Rules of International Civil Aviation Organization.

This agreement sets out the standard operating procedures for the investigation of an aircraft accident. The Investigation Bureau clarified in the affidavit that under Article 26, it is mandatory for the government of the country where the accident occurs to initiate an investigation into the circumstances of the accident.

Additionally, Annex 13 read with the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Rules 2025 requires the participation of all countries where the aircraft was registered, where the company was flying it, and where the aircraft was designed and manufactured.

All these countries have legal rights and responsibilities to participate in the investigation process through their accredited representatives and technical experts. The Bureau told the court that thus the investigation is not limited to just an internal or domestic exercise.

It takes the form of an international, treaty-bound investigation carried out legally in coordination with all relevant countries involved in the aircraft, the aircraft operator, its design or manufacture.

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