A crash that killed 260 people is about to get its final answer — and India's aviation regulator just gave the world a date.
October 2026.
That's when the draft final report on the Air India AI171 crash is expected, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau told the Supreme Court.
Thirteen months after the tragedy.
A London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner takes off from Ahmedabad.
Seconds later, it goes down.
241 people on board. 19 more on the ground.
One survivor.
It remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in Indian history.
The AAIB's preliminary report came out just weeks after the crash — but it only mapped the sequence of events.
No cause. No blame. Just the timeline.
Just days before this update, nearly 30 grieving families wrote directly to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu.
Their asks were simple, but pointed:
They weren't asking for closure. They were asking for a process they could trust.
Naidu didn't dodge it.
Speaking in Gujarat while inspecting the upcoming Dholera airport, he said the probe is "in its final stages."
His exact words carried weight:
"More important than speed is that the truth comes out regarding why it happened and how it happened."
Trust over timelines. That's the bet AAIB is making.
This isn't just about one flight anymore.
It's about whether Boeing 787s — flown by airlines worldwide — carry a risk nobody's fully explained yet.
It's about whether India's crash investigation process can stand up to global scrutiny.
And it's about 260 families who've waited over a year to hear one word: why.
October is close. The truth, finally, might be closer.
That's all for now!
