American aviation giant Boeing has come under scrutiny in recent years for their safety record after several crashes involving their aeroplanes. With the latest news that a Boeing 787-* Dreamliner was the plane involved in this morning’s Air India flight crash from Ahmedabad Airport to London Gatwick, the business has come under a new wave of scrutiny.
Coming into difficulty just moments after taking off, the plane reportedly crashed just a few miles from the West Indian airport in Gujarat shortly after 9am BST. It is believed to have been carrying 242 people, including 53 Brits.
The aircraft involved was one of Boeing’s best-selling 787-8 Dreamliners – a state-of-the-art, wide-bodied plane designed for long-haul flights taking passengers around the world. A newer aircraft, the model was first introduced just over a decade ago in 2011 and is widely used by many airlines for intercontinental flights. Being catered for long-haul the plane is bigger than most, typically seating between 242 and 290 passengers.
Who uses the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner?
The aircraft was a big-seller for the manufacturer who described the model as “the bestselling passenger widebody of all time” with more than 2,000 being sold to 89 different airlines after claims It increases fuel efficiency by up to 25% compared with the planes it replaces, largely because of modern engines, using lightweight materials and improved aerodynamics.
Air India has 34 of this type of aircraft in their fleet, but British airlines British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and TUI all also use the 787 which has carried an eighth of the world’s population having flown more than one billion passengers in its five million flights. Other global airlines with the plane include Emirates, American Airlines, Air France, Air Canada and more.
What is the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s safety record?
Although this morning’s flight isn’t the first time the plane has come into trouble, with the 787 Dreamliner plane having experienced issues resulting in some passenger injuries. However, according to the Aviation Safety Network database, today’s crash could be the first instance of a recorded fatality on the flight.
In response to the crash, Boeing issued a statement that reads: “We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information.”
LIVE UPDATES: Air India plane crash live as Gatwick-bound aircraft crashes with 232 passengers and 12 crew
But today’s news comes at a bad time for the manufacturer who is still dealing with the aftermath of two fatal crashes of the 737 Max plane – the Lion Air Flight 610 that killed 189 people on board after taking off from Jakarta in 2018 and the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 that killed 157 people on board after crashing six minutes after take off.
After the crashes, the company became involved in a legal battle, which had a new development last month with the US Justice Department coming to a deal that would spare the company from taking criminal responsibility for the crashes but would still have consequences. They would be ordered to admit to obstructing federal oversight, be handed a fine, pay into a fund for the victim’s families, and improve the safety and quality programs – this still needs to be approved by a judge.
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