Reports on AI plane crash premature; fully support AAIB probe: NTSB
New Delhi, Jul 19 (PTI): The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy has said the board will continue to support the AAIB's investigation into the Air India plane crash, and that reports about the incident are premature and speculative.
On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed into a building soon after takeoff, killing 260 people, including 19 people on the ground. Out of the 242 people onboard, one passenger survived.
On July 12, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) released its preliminary report into the fatal crash.
"Recent media reports on the Air India 171 crash are premature and speculative. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau just released its preliminary report. Investigations of this magnitude take time," Homendy said in a statement posted on X.
The comments come days after AAIB said it is too early to draw any "definite conclusions" on what led to the crash, as the probe is still on, and urged everyone to refrain from spreading premature narratives.
Homendy also said that NTSB fully supports AAIB's public appeal and will continue to support its ongoing investigation.
"All investigative questions should be addressed to the AAIB," she said in the post on Saturday.
There are reports suggesting that pilot error led to the crash of the Air India plane -- VT-ANB -- operating the flight AI 171.
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Dense fog disrupts operations at Delhi airport; 228 flights cancelled, 5 diverted
New Delhi (PTI): Dense fog disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport on Monday, with various airlines cancelling 228 flights and diverting five to nearby airports due to low visibility, an official said.
However, except for Air India, which had in an X post in the morning announced the cancellation of some 40 flights, no other airlines, including crisis-hit IndiGo, shared the numbers of their cancelled or delayed flights.
"As many as 228 flights -- 131 departures and 97 arrivals-- have been cancelled due to low visibility, so far," the airport official said.
In addition to this, five flights have been diverted so far, he said.
Earlier, the Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), in a statement, said, "Our on-ground officials are working closely with all stakeholders to assist passengers and provide necessary support across Terminals.
"Low visibility (below minima), due to dense fog, has severely impacted operations at Delhi and other airports across northern India, which is unfortunately beyond our control," IndiGo said in a statement.
As operations are adjusted to prevailing weather conditions, some flights may experience delays, while a few others may be proactively cancelled during the day to prioritise safety and minimise extended waiting at the airport, the airline said in a statement.
IndiGo, however, did not say how many of its flights were cancelled or delayed.
The airline said its teams are "closely monitoring" the situation and coordinating with Delhi airport.
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IndiGo also said it issued advisories to its customers and "proactively" informing them, to minimise inconvenience.
“Poor visibility due to dense fog in Delhi this morning has impacted flight operations for all airlines. We are closely monitoring conditions and will resume operations as soon as it is safe to do so,” Air India said in a post on X in the morning.
It also said that some flights have been cancelled In the interest of safety, and to avoid prolonged uncertainty for the guests, while listing out some 40 arrivals and departures that it had cancelled for the day.
Delhi airport is the country's busiest, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily.
