AI 171 The Hidden Scale of the Investigation

24 aircraft out of 27 in the Air India Boeing 787 fleet have been in an extended maintenance check or retrofit. 16 before the crash of VT-ANB and 8 after the crash. Only 3 aircraft have not and the crash aircraft VT-ANB was the oldest of the remaining three. The investigation into Air India Flight 171 is not confined to one airline, one aircraft or even one country. The maintenance history of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet extends across several international maintenance organisations. The aircraft itself contains systems designed, manufactured and supported by an extensive global supply chain. The investigation involves accident authorities, regulators, manufacturers, suppliers, insurers and government institutions in several countries. Each possible finding would allocate responsibility—and potentially billions of dollars in corrective action and liability—differently between Air India, Tata Sons, Boeing, GE Aerospace, Safran, other suppliers, insurers and government authorities.