Background

One year after the AI171 Boeing 787‑8 Dreamliner crash on June 12, 2025, which killed 241 of 242 passengers and 19 on the ground, India’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s final report remains pending.

Survey Scope and Demographics

LocalCircles conducted a nationwide survey of airline travellers, receiving over 85,000 validated responses from citizens across 312 districts. Respondents were 61% male and 39% female; 45% hailed from tier‑1 districts, 30% from tier‑2, and the remaining 25% from tier‑3‑5 districts.

Perceived Adherence to Safety Protocols

Among the 31,070 participants asked about safety adherence over the past three years, 16% rated it “always perfect”, 52% said it was “mostly fine, but there have been some exceptions”, and 32% asserted that airlines are “always generally cutting corners”.

Airline Avoidance Behaviour

When asked which India‑based airlines they avoid for safety reasons, 28,813 respondents could select multiple carriers. Fifty‑five percent indicated they avoid SpiceJet, 24% avoid Air India, 13% avoid IndiGo, 13% avoid Akasa Air, while 31% said they do not avoid any particular airline. Consequently, five in ten travellers avoid SpiceJet and two in ten avoid Air India due to safety concerns.

Booking Considerations

In a separate question on factors influencing booking decisions, 25,223 respondents listed multiple criteria. Air fare influenced 93% of travellers, flight timings 79%, airline brand 51%, flight connection and duration 47%, and aircraft type 29%. Only 7% cited other parameters, 4% gave no clear answer, and another 7% reported not having booked any air travel recently. The 29% checking aircraft type represents a notable increase from pre‑June 2025 behaviour.

Recent Safety Incidents (Feb‑Jun 2026)

  • February 2026: An Air India Boeing 787’s fuel‑control switch moved to “CUTOFF” twice during engine start‑up at Heathrow.
  • February 2026: A SpiceJet Delhi‑Leh flight returned due to an engine snag.
  • May 2026: An IndiGo flight in Chandigarh performed an emergency slide evacuation after a power‑bank fire.
  • May 2026: An engine‑fire warning prompted a full emergency at Delhi airport on an Air India flight from Bengaluru.
  • April 2026: A SpiceJet aircraft struck a stationary Akasa Air plane at Delhi’s Terminal 1.
  • June 2026: An IndiGo aircraft clipped an Air India plane while taxiing at Mumbai.

DGCA Audit Activity

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) intensified its oversight, completing 12 regulatory audits and 29 special audits in the first months of 2026, compared with 56 regulatory and 9 special audits conducted throughout 2025. An internal DGCA audit of 754 commercial aircraft found 377 (exactly half) exhibiting recurring technical defects.

Conclusions and Recommendations

LocalCircles concludes that safety has become a durable factor in Indian air‑travel decisions rather than a fleeting anxiety. It urges the DGCA to publish the AI171 final investigation report promptly, enforce accountability for recurring defects, and for airlines to invest in maintenance, training, and transparent communication. LocalCircles plans to share the survey findings with the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure traveller concerns are addressed.