It has been a year since Air India flight 1344 slammed into a hillside in Kerala, killing 21 people and injuring dozens more. The official report into the crash is still not public. But here is what this office has uncovered: the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has quietly reopened its safety review of foreign carriers operating into British airports.
This review, sources confirm, was initially shelved after pressure from airline lobbyists. A senior CAA insider told me: "We are looking at whether the rules are being followed.
The Air India crash exposed gaps." The review will focus on training standards, maintenance records and crew fatigue. The airline involved, Air India, has been under scrutiny for years.
A leaked internal document from 2019 showed that the airline had failed 34 safety audits in five years. The company disputed the findings. But the UK review raises serious questions.
How many other carriers are flying into London, Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham with similar records? The CAA has a list. It is not sharing it.
The Department for Transport says it "welcomes the recommencement" of the review.
But it has not set a deadline. This is a pattern. The aviation industry is a closed shop.
Regulators talk about safety. They talk about transparency. But when it comes to real accountability, they pass the buck.
The Air India crash was preventable. The pilot was tired. The approach was rushed.
The weather was bad. None of that should have been news. But it was.
And now, a year later, the industry is still promising to do better. The CAA's review is a start. But it is not enough.
The public deserves to know which airlines are safe and which are not. The regulator should publish its findings. And it should do so now.
Not in another year. Not after another crash. The bodies pile up.
The reports gather dust. And the suits keep flying.
