| The plane crash is the deadliest involving Britons in recent years, casting a shadow of mourning over large parts of the UK. Gareth Thomas, MP for Harrow West and the chair of the APPG on British Gujarati, told First Edition: “Harrow is home to a large British-Gujarati community, many of whom have close family ties to Gujarat, and this devastating news will be felt particularly strongly here.” Among those confirmed dead are businessman Akeel Nanabawa, his wife, Hannaa Vorajee, and their four-year-old daughter Sara (pictured above), according to the Gloucester Muslim community. Also killed in the crash were Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who ran the Wellness Foundry in south London and Ramsgate. The business offered psychic readings, tarot, reiki, and yoga. Adam Taju, 72, and his wife, Hasina, 70, were also on board, along with their son-in-law, Altafhusen Patel, 51, who lived in London with his wife. Javed Ali Syed, a hotel manager at the Best Western Kensington Olympia Hotel, and his wife, Mariam, were also reportedly among the victims. What do we know about the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner? The Air India plane that was headed to London was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. This model of plane has been in service since 2011. There are more than 1,100 787s in service worldwide, used by most major international airlines. This is the first time one has crashed. “It was seen as revolutionary when it came in because it was so much lighter,” Gwyn Topham explains. “People called it the ‘plastic plane’ at the time because of the composite materials. That made it more fuel-efficient, quieter, and generally a nicer plane to be on. It doesn’t feel that novel now, but at the time it was a leap forward.” Gwyn adds: “There have been issues over the years. About a decade ago a lithium-ion battery caught fire on a plane parked at Heathrow, which was obviously alarming. And in 2013 there were a couple of electrical fires in Japan that led to the aircraft being grounded briefly. But nothing since that time that would make most people worry about flying this plane.” He notes that while a whistleblower last year urged Boeing to ground all 787 Dreamliners worldwide during Washington hearings, Boeing rejected the claims. Air India, which operates a fleet of Dreamliners, has been using the US-built long-haul plane since 2012. This is the airline’s first serious incident since 2020, when a smaller Boeing 737-800 operated by Air India Express skidded off the runway on landing during bad weather. Tata Group, the parent company of Air India, said it would provide 10m rupees (£86,000) to the families of those killed in the crash. The company also said it would cover the medical costs of those injured and provide support in the “building up” of the medical college hit by the plane. Further scrutiny on Boeing This latest crash piles further pressure on Boeing, which has faced significant scrutiny over the past few years due to a series of production issues and safety concerns. Most notable are the two major crashes that were due to faults on Boeing’s 737 Max planes, in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019. That model was taken out of service for almost a year, before being relaunched and returned to widespread use. Last month, Boeing agreed to pay $1.1bn (£812m) in a deal with the US justice department to avoid prosecution over these two crashes, which together killed 346 people. The families of the crash victims described the deal as “morally repugnant”. “That really shocked the industry and the public. At first, many didn’t want to believe it could be the plane and people thought it might be pilot error. But it turned out to be Boeing’s fault, and that severely damaged trust,” Gwyn says. “Since then, every Boeing incident, from relatively minor ones to the door panel that blew off on an Alaska Airlines flight last year, ends up getting massive attention. Ryanair has even complained publicly about receiving planes with faults. “Even if this crash turns out to have nothing to do with the aircraft itself, it still puts a fresh spotlight on Boeing.” What impact will this have on the aviation industry? Hours after the crash, flights were allowed to resume at the airport in Ahmedabad. Despite these high profile crashes, Gwyn doesn’t expect passengers to be deterred from flying. “It’s important to remember that aviation is very safe. I think 2023 had no fatal passenger jet crashes at all. When crashes do happen, they’re usually the result of a combination of rare and unexpected factors,” he says. As for the impact on passenger confidence, he adds: “Passenger numbers have kept rising year after year. Even when Ryanair offered refunds to passengers booked on the 737 Max, no one took them up on it. So while something like this may shake confidence in the short term, it doesn’t usually translate into people flying less.” While public confidence in air travel is likely to endure, the aviation industry will once again be forced to engage in serious soul-searching over safety, accountability and public trust. | 