After Ahmedabad plane crash, 41% of flyers now check aircraft type before booking: Survey

Hyderabad: In the aftermath of the fatal Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, 41 per cent of Indians, who are likely to undertake air travel in the coming months, will also check the aircraft type the airlines are using for the flight. This was revealed in a latest survey by LocalCircles, in light of the fatal Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, which has led to more than 241 deaths.

The survey showed that as many as 56 per cent of flyers are okay with the government grounding the Boeing 787-8 models until the investigation into the crash is complete.

Indian air travellers, especially those who have existing flight bookings for international travel in the coming months or those who are in the process of making them, have become increasingly concerned post the Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12.

Spate of cancellations and delays

Since the Ahmedabad crash, Air India has cancelled 66 flights to be operated with Boeing 787 between June 12 and 17. Further, flights of other airlines have been cancelled or delayed, citing technical issues.

For example, the British Airways flight BA 35 on June 15th (London to Chennai) departed Heathrow, then returned to London after take-off (1:15 pm BST) due to a suspected wing-flap malfunction. It dumped fuel and landed safely around 1:50 pm, with 214 passengers onboard. In another case, Air India Flight AI 315 on June 16th (Hong Kong to New Delhi) climbed to 22,000 ft, then diverted back to Hong Kong due to a mid-air technical issue. Reports allege that pilots are not willing to take any chances at the first sign of any malfunction in the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Given the concerns about Boeing 787-8, specifically among Indian air travellers and with the investigation results yet to come, the LocalCircles survey attempted to capture the pulse of the air traveller on grounding the 787-8 aircraft in India, till the time all issues are known and sorted.

Type of aircraft and airfare are among the most checked before booking

Given the growing belief that mechanical and technical faults had led to the Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad, the survey asked airline travellers, “If you plan to undertake air travel in the coming months, what would you be looking at before booking/ travel?”

The largest group of 73 per cent stated they would be looking at airfare; 64 per cent of respondents stated flight timings; 59 per cent of respondents stated airline; 41 per cent of respondents stated flight connections and duration, and 41 per cent of respondents stated aircraft type. The rest are indicated with other parameters.

Only 10% cared about aircraft type earlier

In past surveys conducted in 2022, only 10 per cent of air travellers had indicated that they looked at the aircraft type before travelling, marking a significant jump to 41 per cent in 2025, post the crash.

56% of flyers are in favour of grounding Boeing 787-8 for now

When asked in the survey if ‘the Government of India consider grounding the 787-8 model aircraft till the issues are sorted?’ out of 20,742 airline travellers who responded to the question, 56 per cent stated ‘Yes, they must be grounded’;

However, 34 per cent of respondents stated, “No, they shouldn’t be grounded till there is clear evidence of an issue,” and 10 per cent of respondents did not give a clear answer.

So far, the DGCA has not found any major safety concerns in its latest surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet, with all 24 aircraft passing safety checks and meeting current standards. Nine aircraft are yet to be examined by the DGCA.

USA begins probe into cause

The US administration—through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—is formally collaborating with Indian authorities to determine if there is any fault in Boeing’s aircraft that contributed to the crash.

The US participation is part of standard international aviation protocols under the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) rules, but this case is especially high-profile as it’s the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The investigators are examining engine performance and a possible dual power failure that led to a ‘Mayday… no power’ call just before impact. The mechanical systems, including thrust, flaps, landing gear functionality, and electrical systems and the maintenance history are being probed. The last is to examine whether Boeing’s workmanship or quality control played a role in the crash.

Even as the Indian authorities probe the reasons for the biggest aviation disaster in India in this century so far, LocalCircles has attempted to capture the public sentiment and understand if the approach of air passengers has changed when undertaking air travel and if they are checking the aircraft type when booking a flight or undertaking travel.

Scope of the survey

In summary, after the disastrous Boeing 787-8 air crash in Ahmedabad, the LocalCircles study has found that 41% of Indians surveyed, who are likely to undertake air travel in the coming months, will also be checking the aircraft type the airlines are using before booking or undertaking a flight marking a major jump from 2022 when only 10% travelers were looking for such information.

With the crash and multiple technical issues reported with flights operated using the 787-8 aircraft leading to cancellation or delay of the flights, 56% of airline travellers surveyed in India are in favour of the government grounding Boeing 787-8 aircraft being operated till all issues are investigated and sorted. The fact that multiple flights have made precautionary returns in the last few days after snags were detected in the aircraft reveals that pilots operating these aircraft are not willing to take any risk, which is how it should be.

Survey demographics

The LocalCircles survey received over 40,000 responses from air travellers located in 294 districts of India; 61 per cent of respondents were men, while 39 per cent were women. As many as 47 per cent of respondents were from tier 1, 32 per cent from tier 2, and 21 per cent of respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 and rural districts.