In the aftermath of the tragic Air India plane crash that claimed over 250 lives, the airline has decided to not operate flight number AI 171, replacing it with flight number AI 159, officials familiar with the matter said, a couple of days after the deadly incident. The impact of the deadly crash in Ahmedabad left devastating effects and has sent shockwaves across the country with families mourning their loved ones.
“The flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick [London] will be re-numbered to AI 159. The return flight too will be changed to AI160. The change will start to reflect soon” an official told the Hindustan Times.
As per a former airline official, changing a flight number after a crash helps avoid triggering trauma or bad memories for passengers and serves to disassociate the route from the tragedy.
Investigation into the crash underway
Multiple national agencies, including the NSG, NDRF, Air Force, FSL, Fire and Rescue, AAIB, DGCA, and CISF, conducted a thorough inspection of the wreckage of the ill-fated London-bound Air India flight. The aircraft had crashed onto the rooftop of a doctors' hostel in Ahmedabad, drawing a massive emergency and investigative response.
Officials from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) also reached the site to begin a formal probe into the tragedy. Of the 242 people on board the flight, 241, including all crew members, lost their lives with only one survivor.
What had happened on the day of the crash?
On Thursday afternoon, the London bound flight crashed second after taking off with 242 people, including 12 crew members, on board. While the government is yet to release official figures of casualties, Union home minister Amit Shah, who visited the site of the crash, confirmed that only one of the 242 people on board survived. More people were killed when the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner rammed into a hostel of a medical college.
