India rejects UN offer to join probe of Air India Crash that killed 260

NEW DELHI, June 27: India has declined an offer from the UN’s aviation agency to involve one of its investigators in the probe into the June 12 Air India crash in Ahmedabad that killed at least 260 people, two senior sources confirmed.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) had proposed observer status for a UN investigator currently in India, citing global concern over the incident — the deadliest aviation accident in a decade. However, Indian authorities rejected the offer, asserting their commitment to independently manage the investigation.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), leading the probe, has faced criticism from safety experts for the slow analysis of the aircraft’s black box data. The flight recorders were recovered on June 13 and 16, but the data was only downloaded nearly two weeks later, officials said.

The civil aviation ministry has claimed full adherence to ICAO protocols. However, questions remain over transparency, including where the black boxes are being read — in India or in the U.S., where the National Transportation Safety Board is also involved.

India has held only one press briefing since the crash and did not allow questions, further fueling concerns. Under ICAO’s Annex 13 rules, decisions on flight recorder analysis should be made immediately to help prevent future tragedies.

ICAO and the AAIB did not comment on the matter. A preliminary report on the crash is expected within 30 days, as is standard in most air accident investigations. (Agencies)