"If Trump's DOJ hadn't worked out a deal to help Boeing avoid going to trial for its crimes, that trial would be starting on Monday."
A view of the site where a Boeing plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in India's western state of Gujarat on June 12, 2025.
(Photo: Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jake Johnson
Jun 12, 2025
COMMON DREAMS
A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet carrying 242 passengers and crew members crashed in a residential area in western India shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon local time, a catastrophic incident that occurred weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump's Justice Department cut a deal allowing the aircraft manufacturer to avoid criminal responsibility for two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019.
"If Trump's DOJ hadn't worked out a deal to help Boeing avoid going to trial for its crimes, that trial would be starting on Monday," Public Citizen researcher Rick Claypool pointed out following the crash.
The cause of the crash wasn't immediately clear, and Boeing said in a statement that it was "working to gather more information." India's health minister said that "many people" were killed when the London-bound plane crashed on the campus of a local medical college, and a local police commissioner told reporters that no one who was aboard the jet appeared to have survived.
(Update: It was later reported that at least one passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived.)
India's minister of civil aviation wrote on social media that "rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site."
The crash was believed to be the first deadly incident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body aircraft that entered commercial service in 2011.
Boeing's stock plummeted following news of the crash, which is certain to heighten scrutiny of the company's safety record.
Whistleblowers and experts have accused Boeing of cutting corners on safety to meet production quotas and maximize profits. Last year, an engineer who worked on the 787 Dreamliner told members of Congress that Boeing was "taking shortcuts" to "speed up production and delivery" of the jet.
"Boeing adopted these shortcuts in its production processes based on faulty engineering and faulty evaluation of available data, which has allowed potentially defective parts and defective installations in 787 fleet," the engineer, Sam Salehpour, alleged in written testimony presented to a Senate committee in April 2024.
"This isn't just a betrayal of the victims and their families, but sends a chilling message: Even the most egregious corporate misconduct will be tolerated if a company is powerful enough and backs the right administration."
Last month, Boeing—a major federal contractor in the U.S.—reached what critics decried as a "sweetheart deal" with the Trump Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading American regulators about the 737 MAX, two of which crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing nearly 350 people in total.
Boeing, which donated $1 million to U.S. President Donald Trump's inaugural fund, agreed to pay $1.1 billion in exchange for avoiding criminal responsibility.
"The deal marks one of the most shocking lapses of criminal enforcement against a major corporation in memory," Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, said after the deal was announced. "The Trump administration touts how it is tough on crime, but when it comes to the world's most powerful institutions, it is an all-time patsy."
William McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, said earlier this month that "more than six years after two horrific Boeing 737 MAX accidents claimed 346 lives, the Trump DOJ is letting the company pay its way out of any accountability."
"Despite a trove of new evidence from whistleblowers, inspectors, and aviation experts, and even after another terrifying MAX incident last year, the Trump-Vance admin is once again siding with a massive and politically-connected corporation over public safety," said McGeen. "This isn't just a betrayal of the victims and their families, but sends a chilling message: Even the most egregious corporate misconduct will be tolerated if a company is powerful enough and backs the right administration."
Whistleblowers and experts have accused Boeing of cutting corners on safety to meet production quotas and maximize profits. Last year, an engineer who worked on the 787 Dreamliner told members of Congress that Boeing was "taking shortcuts" to "speed up production and delivery" of the jet.
"Boeing adopted these shortcuts in its production processes based on faulty engineering and faulty evaluation of available data, which has allowed potentially defective parts and defective installations in 787 fleet," the engineer, Sam Salehpour, alleged in written testimony presented to a Senate committee in April 2024.
"This isn't just a betrayal of the victims and their families, but sends a chilling message: Even the most egregious corporate misconduct will be tolerated if a company is powerful enough and backs the right administration."
Last month, Boeing—a major federal contractor in the U.S.—reached what critics decried as a "sweetheart deal" with the Trump Justice Department to avoid criminal prosecution for allegedly misleading American regulators about the 737 MAX, two of which crashed in 2018 and 2019, killing nearly 350 people in total.
Boeing, which donated $1 million to U.S. President Donald Trump's inaugural fund, agreed to pay $1.1 billion in exchange for avoiding criminal responsibility.
"The deal marks one of the most shocking lapses of criminal enforcement against a major corporation in memory," Robert Weissman, co-president of Public Citizen, said after the deal was announced. "The Trump administration touts how it is tough on crime, but when it comes to the world's most powerful institutions, it is an all-time patsy."
William McGee, a senior fellow for aviation and travel at the American Economic Liberties Project, said earlier this month that "more than six years after two horrific Boeing 737 MAX accidents claimed 346 lives, the Trump DOJ is letting the company pay its way out of any accountability."
"Despite a trove of new evidence from whistleblowers, inspectors, and aviation experts, and even after another terrifying MAX incident last year, the Trump-Vance admin is once again siding with a massive and politically-connected corporation over public safety," said McGeen. "This isn't just a betrayal of the victims and their families, but sends a chilling message: Even the most egregious corporate misconduct will be tolerated if a company is powerful enough and backs the right administration."
787 Dreamliner is Boeing’s flagship long-distance plane
By AFP
June 12, 2025
Boeing's 787 Dreamliners were dogged by quality issues a couple of years ago, prompting US authorities to step up checks - Copyright AFP Sam PANTHAKY
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in India on Thursday is the pride of the US company’s catalogue for long-distance planes: a fuel-efficient, wide-body aircraft able to transport up to 330 people.
– Lightweight –
After first entering service in October 2011, with Japan’s All Nippon Airways, 2,598 of the planes have been ordered by more than 80 airlines around the world, with 889 still awaiting delivery.
Its appeal is its lightweight structure, half of which is made from composite materials, allowing it to burn up to 20 percent less fuel over long distances than older, equivalent-sized passenger planes.
It can be used for “point-to-point” services, meaning it can fly direct to a destination instead of relying on a “hub” system used by heavier aircraft.
Boeing says the use of the 787 has opened up 180 such “point-to-point” routes, more than the 80 initially banked upon.
– Three versions –
There are currently three versions of the 787: the 787-8, which can carry up to 248 passengers over distances up to 13,530 kilometres (8,400 miles); the 787-9, carrying up to 296 passengers up to 14,010 kilometres; and the 787-10, with up to 330 passengers, up to 11,910 kilometres.
The one that went down in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday was the 787-8 version, carrying 242 passengers and crew. It was scheduled to fly to London, but crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city.
Boeing said it was “aware” of the reports of of the crash and was “working to gather more information”.
It was the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner.
– Boeing setbacks –
Boeing’s programme for the plane had suffered several setbacks, including repeated and costly delivery suspensions between 2021 and 2023, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues.
The US Federal Aviation Administration ended up reinforcing quality assurance checks and inspections on the production lines.
In April this year, the FAA authorised Boeing to step up its production pace to make seven planes a month, from five previously.
In terms of sales, Boeing is facing headwinds.
The manufacturer did not deliver any aircraft to China in May, despite having a green light from Beijing, which the month before had temporarily barred Chinese airlines from dealing with the company because of the trade war unleashed by Washington.
By AFP
June 12, 2025
Boeing's 787 Dreamliners were dogged by quality issues a couple of years ago, prompting US authorities to step up checks - Copyright AFP Sam PANTHAKY
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed in India on Thursday is the pride of the US company’s catalogue for long-distance planes: a fuel-efficient, wide-body aircraft able to transport up to 330 people.
– Lightweight –
After first entering service in October 2011, with Japan’s All Nippon Airways, 2,598 of the planes have been ordered by more than 80 airlines around the world, with 889 still awaiting delivery.
Its appeal is its lightweight structure, half of which is made from composite materials, allowing it to burn up to 20 percent less fuel over long distances than older, equivalent-sized passenger planes.
It can be used for “point-to-point” services, meaning it can fly direct to a destination instead of relying on a “hub” system used by heavier aircraft.
Boeing says the use of the 787 has opened up 180 such “point-to-point” routes, more than the 80 initially banked upon.
– Three versions –
There are currently three versions of the 787: the 787-8, which can carry up to 248 passengers over distances up to 13,530 kilometres (8,400 miles); the 787-9, carrying up to 296 passengers up to 14,010 kilometres; and the 787-10, with up to 330 passengers, up to 11,910 kilometres.
The one that went down in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday was the 787-8 version, carrying 242 passengers and crew. It was scheduled to fly to London, but crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city.
Boeing said it was “aware” of the reports of of the crash and was “working to gather more information”.
It was the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner.
– Boeing setbacks –
Boeing’s programme for the plane had suffered several setbacks, including repeated and costly delivery suspensions between 2021 and 2023, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues.
The US Federal Aviation Administration ended up reinforcing quality assurance checks and inspections on the production lines.
In April this year, the FAA authorised Boeing to step up its production pace to make seven planes a month, from five previously.
In terms of sales, Boeing is facing headwinds.
The manufacturer did not deliver any aircraft to China in May, despite having a green light from Beijing, which the month before had temporarily barred Chinese airlines from dealing with the company because of the trade war unleashed by Washington.
Air India crash latest test for new Boeing leadership
By AFP
June 12, 2025
This handout photograph from the Central Industrial Security Force shows the back of an Air India passenger plane after the Boeing jet crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad, India
By AFP
June 12, 2025
This handout photograph from the Central Industrial Security Force shows the back of an Air India passenger plane after the Boeing jet crashed in a residential area near the airport in Ahmedabad, India
- Copyright CENTRAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY FORCE (CISF)/AFP Handout
Anuj SRIVAS
Air India’s London-bound flight 171 that crashed on Thursday with 242 people on board was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, part of India’s bold push to radically expand its air industry sector.
The growth of its economy has made India and its 1.4 billion people the world’s fourth-largest air market — domestic and international — with IATA projecting it will become the third biggest within the decade.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words”, has made the development of the air sector a priority since coming to power in 2014.
Modi, who has said he wants to “bring air travel to the common people”, began a plan in 2016 to boost air links between small towns and megacities in the world’s most populous nation.
“A common man who travels in slippers should also be seen in the aircraft — this is my dream,” Modi was quoted as saying by the aviation ministry at the time.
Air India, the country’s former national carrier, was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022.
The sprawling salt-to-software conglomerate has since sought to turn around the airline by ordering new aircraft and upgrading its existing fleet.
The airline currently operates a fleet of over 190 planes, according to latest available data on its website, including 58 Boeing aircraft.
Over the last two years it has placed orders for 570 new aircraft.
In September 2024, Air India kicked off a $400 million refit programme to revamp 67 legacy aircraft in its fleet.
The airline’s global network spans 31 countries across five continents, connecting India with destinations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The airline says it operates about 5,000 flights a week “to and from 49 destinations within India and 43 destinations outside of India”.
Domestic air passengers have more than doubled in the past decade, according to government figures, as Indian airlines quickly ramp up their fleets.
This has partly helped the number of airports more than double in the past decade — from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024, according to ministry figures.
The government is pouring in millions of dollars and is promising to increase the number of airports to between 350 and 400 by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence.
At the same time, the government has opened programmes to train some 30,000 pilots and at least as many mechanics over the next 20 years.
John BIERS
The devastating Air India crash seems certain to embroil Boeing in further rounds of negative headlines at a time when it has shown progress under new leadership.
Shares of the American plane manufacturer slumped more than four percent Thursday as the pope, King Charles and the president of India expressed sorrow over the Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people.
Boeing pledged to support a probe.
“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
The crash comes just before aerospace giants converge at Le Bourget Airport for next week’s Paris Air Show, a major industry gathering attended by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and other top executives.
Prior to Thursday’s calamity, industry insiders expected the focus at Le Bourget to include the aviation sector’s adaptation to trade tensions, the latest state-of-the-art flying technologies and the outlook for any improvement in the supply chain that has slowed deliveries from Boeing and rival Airbus.
But the crash is also certain to be a major topic of conversation, a source of speculation as sobriety.
“A week from now there probably will be one or two operating hypothesis of what happened that people at the show and the public will be talking about,” said Morningstar analyst Nicolas Owens, who noted that investigations into crashes normally take “several months” and typically involve multiple factors.
Only time will tell what the accident means for Boeing, but Owens still expects the company to rack up additional 787 orders next week in Paris.
“It’s highly improbable that people conclude that it’s a systemic problem with the engine or the plane,” he said.
– MAX crashes different –
Air India’s flight 171 issued a mayday call and crashed “immediately after takeoff,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
British and US investigators were en route to western India for a probe expected to involve reviews of flight data, maintenance records and the background of the crew.
The ill-fated plane was delivered to Air India in 2014 and had more than 41,000 hours of flying time, according to consultancy Cirium.
That makes Thursday’s tragedy different from the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that involved planes Boeing had only recently delivered to airlines.
A central factor in both MAX crashes was the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a flight handling system that badly malfunctioned, pointing to design flaws.
The MAX crashes plunged Boeing into a years-long slump extended by fresh safety problems early in 2024. Boeing has reported annual losses the last six years.
Available video of the Air India crash suggests “some form of power or flight control loss,” said Robert Clifford, a Chicago attorney representing some family members of the 346 MAX victims.
“The Indian government investigators should have flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder information within a couple of days that will provide vital information.”
Since introducing the Dreamliner into service in 2011, Boeing has had to do some rework, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues.
The plane was also scrutinized in an April 2024 US Senate hearing that aired criticism from a whistleblower who testified that he was blackballed after reporting serious manufacturing defects on the 787 and the 777.
But Thursday marked the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner, a plane that has enjoyed a strong reputation within the industry.
On May 29, Ortberg told a financial conference that the recent approval by US aviation authorities to allow increased 787 output was “an important milestone” in the company’s comeback.
Ortberg, who relocated to Seattle to be closer to key manufacturing operations, has generally won plaudits from aviation watchers since joining in August 2024, navigating Boeing through a labor strike and joining President Donald Trump’s Middle East delegation.
Richard Aboulafia, managing director at consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, said there is no indication of a 787 design flaw.
“There’s inevitably fear,” Aboulafia said of Thursday’s stock market reaction.
“It’s a tragedy but it’s unlikely to affect perceptions of the 787 because there’s nothing known at this point and it’s got a very good record,” he said.
India and its vast booming aviation sector
ByAFP
June 12, 2025
An airplane flies over Chennai in India in June. The aviation sector in India has grown at rapid pace in recent years - Copyright AFP R.Satish BABU
The devastating Air India crash seems certain to embroil Boeing in further rounds of negative headlines at a time when it has shown progress under new leadership.
Shares of the American plane manufacturer slumped more than four percent Thursday as the pope, King Charles and the president of India expressed sorrow over the Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 people.
Boeing pledged to support a probe.
“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
The crash comes just before aerospace giants converge at Le Bourget Airport for next week’s Paris Air Show, a major industry gathering attended by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg and other top executives.
Prior to Thursday’s calamity, industry insiders expected the focus at Le Bourget to include the aviation sector’s adaptation to trade tensions, the latest state-of-the-art flying technologies and the outlook for any improvement in the supply chain that has slowed deliveries from Boeing and rival Airbus.
But the crash is also certain to be a major topic of conversation, a source of speculation as sobriety.
“A week from now there probably will be one or two operating hypothesis of what happened that people at the show and the public will be talking about,” said Morningstar analyst Nicolas Owens, who noted that investigations into crashes normally take “several months” and typically involve multiple factors.
Only time will tell what the accident means for Boeing, but Owens still expects the company to rack up additional 787 orders next week in Paris.
“It’s highly improbable that people conclude that it’s a systemic problem with the engine or the plane,” he said.
– MAX crashes different –
Air India’s flight 171 issued a mayday call and crashed “immediately after takeoff,” the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
British and US investigators were en route to western India for a probe expected to involve reviews of flight data, maintenance records and the background of the crew.
The ill-fated plane was delivered to Air India in 2014 and had more than 41,000 hours of flying time, according to consultancy Cirium.
That makes Thursday’s tragedy different from the two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 that involved planes Boeing had only recently delivered to airlines.
A central factor in both MAX crashes was the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS), a flight handling system that badly malfunctioned, pointing to design flaws.
The MAX crashes plunged Boeing into a years-long slump extended by fresh safety problems early in 2024. Boeing has reported annual losses the last six years.
Available video of the Air India crash suggests “some form of power or flight control loss,” said Robert Clifford, a Chicago attorney representing some family members of the 346 MAX victims.
“The Indian government investigators should have flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder information within a couple of days that will provide vital information.”
Since introducing the Dreamliner into service in 2011, Boeing has had to do some rework, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues.
The plane was also scrutinized in an April 2024 US Senate hearing that aired criticism from a whistleblower who testified that he was blackballed after reporting serious manufacturing defects on the 787 and the 777.
But Thursday marked the first deadly crash of a 787 Dreamliner, a plane that has enjoyed a strong reputation within the industry.
On May 29, Ortberg told a financial conference that the recent approval by US aviation authorities to allow increased 787 output was “an important milestone” in the company’s comeback.
Ortberg, who relocated to Seattle to be closer to key manufacturing operations, has generally won plaudits from aviation watchers since joining in August 2024, navigating Boeing through a labor strike and joining President Donald Trump’s Middle East delegation.
Richard Aboulafia, managing director at consultancy AeroDynamic Advisory, said there is no indication of a 787 design flaw.
“There’s inevitably fear,” Aboulafia said of Thursday’s stock market reaction.
“It’s a tragedy but it’s unlikely to affect perceptions of the 787 because there’s nothing known at this point and it’s got a very good record,” he said.
India and its vast booming aviation sector
ByAFP
June 12, 2025
An airplane flies over Chennai in India in June. The aviation sector in India has grown at rapid pace in recent years - Copyright AFP R.Satish BABU
Anuj SRIVAS
Air India’s London-bound flight 171 that crashed on Thursday with 242 people on board was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, part of India’s bold push to radically expand its air industry sector.
The growth of its economy has made India and its 1.4 billion people the world’s fourth-largest air market — domestic and international — with IATA projecting it will become the third biggest within the decade.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who called the crash “heartbreaking beyond words”, has made the development of the air sector a priority since coming to power in 2014.
Modi, who has said he wants to “bring air travel to the common people”, began a plan in 2016 to boost air links between small towns and megacities in the world’s most populous nation.
“A common man who travels in slippers should also be seen in the aircraft — this is my dream,” Modi was quoted as saying by the aviation ministry at the time.
Air India, the country’s former national carrier, was taken over by the Tata Group in 2022.
The sprawling salt-to-software conglomerate has since sought to turn around the airline by ordering new aircraft and upgrading its existing fleet.
The airline currently operates a fleet of over 190 planes, according to latest available data on its website, including 58 Boeing aircraft.
Over the last two years it has placed orders for 570 new aircraft.
In September 2024, Air India kicked off a $400 million refit programme to revamp 67 legacy aircraft in its fleet.
The airline’s global network spans 31 countries across five continents, connecting India with destinations in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.
The airline says it operates about 5,000 flights a week “to and from 49 destinations within India and 43 destinations outside of India”.
Domestic air passengers have more than doubled in the past decade, according to government figures, as Indian airlines quickly ramp up their fleets.
This has partly helped the number of airports more than double in the past decade — from 74 in 2014 to 157 in 2024, according to ministry figures.
The government is pouring in millions of dollars and is promising to increase the number of airports to between 350 and 400 by 2047, the centenary of India’s independence.
At the same time, the government has opened programmes to train some 30,000 pilots and at least as many mechanics over the next 20 years.
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