MI5 has launched a review of the Air India crash that killed 158 people in 1985. Sources confirm the security service is re-examining the case amid a bitter row over the cause of the disaster. The row threatens to undermine global aviation security.
The crash of Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism before 9/11. A bomb placed by Sikh extremists brought down the plane. But a furious dispute has erupted over whether a cover-up concealed the true cause.
Documents obtained by my sources reveal MI5 is now conducting a fresh assessment. The review comes after a former Irish investigator claimed the early probe was flawed. He says key evidence was suppressed to avoid embarrassing the Canadian government.
The bomb was checked in by a passenger in Vancouver. But questions have been raised about whether it could have been detected. The row centres on revelations that the prime suspect was known to intelligence agencies.
MI5's review is a sign the case is far from closed. The security service has not commented publicly. But a source familiar with the process told me: "We are looking at new information that challenges the official narrative."
The dispute threatens to expose gaps in aviation security that have persisted for decades. If the crash was preventable, families of the victims are entitled to answers. But the row also risks damaging trust between intelligence agencies.
The Canadian government has long faced allegations it failed to act on warnings. A 2010 inquiry blamed incompetence but ruled out a conspiracy. But now a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer says he was ordered to destroy evidence.
MI5's review could reopen old wounds. But it also offers a chance to learn from a tragedy that reshaped air travel. The rules that make flying safe today: scanning checked bags, matching luggage to passengers, all came out of this disaster.
If the cover-up claims are true, those rules were not implemented because they were needed. They were implemented because the establishment failed. That is a dangerous story for those in power.
The families of the dead deserve the truth. But so do the millions of passengers who fly every day. Aviation security relies on trust. This row is eroding that trust. MI5 must ensure its review is thorough and transparent.
I will be following the money. I will be following the documents. But most of all I will be following the bodies. There are 158 reasons to get to the bottom of this.
This is not a story about the past. It is a story about the present. The same failures that let a bomb on a plane in 1985 could happen again. We must know the truth to stop history repeating.
