Air India crash: Draft final report on Ahmedabad tragedy will be ready only by October, AAIB tells Supreme Court

The draft cannot be released immediately, the Centre said in an affidavit filed ahead of a hearing on Friday in a batch of petitions seeking an independent investigation into the crash that killed 260 people, including 241 on board.

The government cited International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) framework and the Aircraft (Investigation of Accidents and Incidents) Rules, 2025 that mandates a draft air crash investigation report to be circulated to states participating in the probe — in this case, the US’ National Transportation Safety Board as accredited representative of the state of design and manufacture — for their “significant and substantiated comments”. The consultation could take 30 to 60 days depending on the complexity of the responses, the Centre stated.

Filed on behalf of the civil aviation ministry and AAIB, the affidavit opposed petitioners’ demands for a court-monitored or independent inquiry, arguing the investigation strictly follows international standards and Indian law and leaves no scope for judicial supervision or a parallel probe. The matter is listed for July 17 before a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.