Air India Flight Attendants Allege Wrongful Dismissal Amid Aviation Safety Scrutiny

Strategic Insights -

Two former senior flight attendants have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing Air India of wrongfully dismissing them after they refused to alter their statements regarding a technical fault involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner door last year. The incident, which occurred on May 14, 2024, involved the unexpected deployment of an emergency slide raft at Heathrow Airport. The attendants claimed that their original reports, supported by the flight's captain and cabin-in-charge, confirmed the slide malfunction. However, they were allegedly pressured to revise their statements and were subsequently dismissed from service within 48 hours.

Key Takeaways:

  • The incident occurred on May 14, 2024, when Air India flight AI-129's emergency slide raft deployed unexpectedly at Heathrow Airport.
  • The flight attendants alleged that they were pressured to revise their statements regarding the incident and were subsequently dismissed from service within 48 hours.
  • The attendants claimed that similar malfunctions involving Dreamliner aircraft were also suppressed by Air India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
  • A formal complaint was filed with the Central Vigilance Commission regarding the incident.
  • The incident is being linked to recent aviation safety concerns following the deadly crash of Air India flight 171 on June 12, 2025, which killed over 270 people.

Statistics:

  • 48 hours: the time it took for the two flight attendants to be dismissed from service after refusing to revise their statements.
  • 2: the number of decades the former flight attendants served Air India.
  • 270: the number of people killed in the June 12, 2025, crash of Air India flight 171.
  • 1: the number of year that passed between the alleged wrongful dismissal of the flight attendants and the crash of Air India flight 171.

Sources:

  • The Times of India
  • Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from India Blooms.