The Air India flight 182 disaster, which killed 329 people in 1985, remains the deadliest aviation terrorist attack in history. Now, more than three decades on, British aviation investigators are calling for a renewed effort to resolve the enduring mysteries surrounding the case. The call comes after a review of evidence suggested that key questions about the bombing remain unanswered, including the precise method of bomb deployment and potential intelligence failures.
In a report submitted to the Canadian and Indian governments, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has argued that new forensic techniques and declassified communications could shed light on the attack. The AAIB has requested access to documents and fragments that have never been fully examined. The push for fresh answers has been met with cautious interest from families of the victims, many of whom have campaigned for decades. "We need closure, not just as families but as a matter of international justice," said one representative.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 from Montreal to London on 23 June 1985 was orchestrated by Sikh militants seeking a separate state of Khalistan. A bomb hidden in checked luggage detonated over the Atlantic, killing all on board. In parallel, a second bomb exploded at Tokyo's Narita Airport, killing two baggage handlers. While several suspects were convicted in Canada in 2005, the mastermind, Talwinder Singh Parmar, was killed in a police shootout in 1992, and some major figures remain unpunished.
British investigators have highlighted discrepancies in the official narrative, including the failure to identify how the bomb was assembled and transported undetected. They point to potential lapses in airport security and intelligence sharing between agencies in Canada, India and the UK. The AAIB's intervention is unusual, given that the crash occurred outside British territory, but the UK co-ordinated the recovery of wreckage and has maintained a role in the investigation.
Diplomatic sources indicate that both New Delhi and Ottawa are wary of reopening the case, citing the passage of time and political sensitivities. However, the AAIB has stressed that technological advances, including trace element analysis and digital reconstruction, could now provide definitive answers. The request has been formally submitted to the Canadian Transportation Safety Board, which led the original probe.
Critics argue that a new inquiry would risk reopening old wounds without practical benefit, given that most perpetrators are dead or imprisoned. But advocates maintain that unresolved questions feed conspiracy theories and undermine faith in aviation security. The British position is clear: the pursuit of truth should not be time-limited, especially in a case of such magnitude.
As the UK pushes for answers, the families wait. For them, the crash remains an open wound, a mystery unsolved. The AAIB's call may be the last chance to close it.
