Raj Thackeray, Sanjay Raut Raise Questions About Ahmedabad Air Crash

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, as well as Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut, have raised questions about the recent Ahmedabad air crash.

In a Facebook post, Raj Thackeray, wrote, “A plane crash from Ahmedabad to London killed many passengers and civilians. This is a very tragic incident. Heartfelt condolences to the deceased in this incident. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) shares in the grief of the families of the deceased. May the injured recover quickly and return home safely. This is my prayer to God”.

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“Although I do not have much knowledge about aircraft technology, some things had come up in my reading before this, which raised some questions. There were many complaints about Boeing’s ‘Dreamliner’ aircraft. In 2013, a Japan Airlines plane first caught fire. After that, many complaints were coming about this aircraft. There were so many complaints that the flights of these aircraft were stopped many times between 2020 and 2023. In January 2013, almost all the major aviation authorities from America to Europe suspended the flights of the Boeing Dreamliner for about 3 months,” Raj Thackeray stated.

“As far as I remember, in 2013, the DGCA in India also suspended the flights of this aircraft for some time. If we knew that there were so many complaints about the Dreamliner, why were we allowing these aircraft to be used? Why has the DGCA never taken any action about this?” Raj Thackeray questioned.

He stated that while reading about the air crash, he got to know that the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft entered Air India’s service on January 28, 2014. “In short, we brought this aircraft into the fleet at a time when there were complaints about the Dreamliner from all over the world,” Raj Thackeray stated.

“Though the Dreamliner has a history of being disrupted many times worldwide due to technical reasons between 2020 and 2023, many airlines, including Air India, have ordered more than 40 Dreamliner aircraft. Why did the government allow all this? Why didn’t the DGCA say anything? It will be said that this is not the time to talk about all this. The incident that happened is tragic. Therefore, the government must show seriousness about this issue now. If Dreamliners are going to become death traps, then their service should be stopped,” Raj Thackeray stated.

“Everything I have mentioned has already been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Al-Jazeera. Al-Jazeera has also made a documentary about the Dreamliner, and its YouTube link has also been provided here in this post. Those who wish to understand this whole subject in depth should definitely read it, and if possible, watch the documentary as well,” Raj Thackeray stated in his Facebook post.

Talking to media persons on Saturday, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, “Some teams have come from Britain and America to investigate the air crash in Ahmedabad. Central agencies of India are also investigating. Therefore, it is not right to draw any conclusions about this right now. However, when the agreement was signed regarding the purchase of Boeing Dreamliner, the BJP had raised doubts about it. Doubts were raised about the capacity of the Dreamliner and its engine. The purchase was made when Praful Patel was the Union Civil Aviation Minister in the then UPA government. After allegations were made, he had to clarify”.

“How did both the engines of the crashed plane shut down at the same time? How did the accident happen in just 30 seconds? This is the question being discussed by the aviation industry around the world right now. Did the accident happen due to some kind of a cyber attack? This question is also being discussed. Experts will definitely investigate this possibility. If any probable cyber attacks on our country by an enemy nation were carried out, then it is a very serious matter. This needs to be investigated,” Sanjay Raut said.

“I do not want to create confusion by making any statement about it now. We are getting information from various sectors. We will take a stand accordingly. The Air Traffic Control had 56 per cent less manpower than its capacity. Why are there fewer technicians at airports who do the technical maintenance of aircraft? The government will have to answer this question,” Sanjay Raut said.