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Air India says one engine on crashed plane was new
One of the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last week was new, while the other was not due for servicing until December, the airline’s chairman has said.
In an interview with an Indian news channel, N Chandrasekaran said that both engines of the aircraft had “clean” histories.
“The right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and due for its next maintenance check in December 2025,” he told Times Now channel.
At least 270 people, most of them passengers, were killed last Thursday when AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in western India.
Investigators are now sifting through debris and decoding recorded flight data and cockpit audio – from the aircraft’s black boxes which have been found – to reconstruct the flight’s final moments and determine the cause of the incident.
“There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories. But the fact that I know so far is this particular aircraft, this specific tail, AI171, has a clean history,” Mr Chandrasekaran said, cautioning people against jumping to conclusions.
“I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that,” he added.
Kishore Chinta, a former investigator with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, told the BBC that the condition of an aircraft engine is not necessarily linked to its age – particularly in the case of the Genx-1B engines used on the Boeing 787-8.
“The age of the engine has no bearing on the health of the engine, especially for the Genx-1B engines,” Mr Chinta said. In other words just because an engine is new, does not necessarily mean it is healthy, or vice versa.
Unlike older models, the Genx-1B engines, which are made by GE Aerospace, don’t follow a fixed overhaul or maintenance schedule. Instead, they are equipped with a system called the Full Authority Digital Engine Control or FADEC that continuously monitors engine health and performance. The decision to service or replace the engine is based on this data and physical inspections.
However, Mr Chinta pointed out that certain components of the engine, known as Life Limited Parts (LLPs), still have a fixed lifespan typically between 15,000 and 20,000 cycles.
“Every start and switch-off of the engine counts as one cycle,” he explained.
While the investigation continues, Air India has also announced a 15% cut in its international operations on wide-body aircraft until mid-July as it grapples with the fallout from the crash.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the airline said the decision was driven by “compounding circumstances” – including enhanced safety checks, increased caution by crew and ground staff and tensions in the Middle East.
Separately, the airline said that inspections have been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, all of which have been “cleared for service”.
India’s aviation regulator had ordered additional safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet after the deadly crash as a “preventive measure”.
The remaining aircraft are expected to be examined in the coming days, Air India said, adding that the airline’s Boeing 777 fleet would also “undertake enhanced safety checks”.
“The curtailments are a painful measure to take, but are necessary following a devastating event which we are still working through and an unusual combination of external events,” it said.
Meanwhile some experts say the crash will likely have an impact on Air India as it tries to transform from a troubled state-owned carrier to a privately-owned company.
Tata Sons, a conglomerate which also owns big brands like Tetley Tea and Jaguar Land Rover, bought the airline – formerly India’s national carrier – from the Indian government in 2022.
(BBC)
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi gave the latest demonstration of his prodigious talent with a record breaking innings in Harare as India completed a dominant run at the Under-19 World Cup, swatting aside England’s challenge, to lift the trophy for the sixth time.
Sooryavanshi, the 14-year-old opener, showcased his full range of scoring in an audacious knock of 175 off just 80 balls to almost single-handedly extinguish England’s hopes after India had opted to bat. When he was third out, India were 251 for 3 in the 26th over and hypothetically on track to score 500. No one could keep up with Sooryavanshi’s rate, but cameos down the order from Abhigyan Kundu and Kanishk Chouhan did take India past 400 for the first time in a Youth ODI between Full Member nations.
For England, Caleb Falconer struck a scintillating 63-ball hundred in response, but there was too much left to do and he was last out as India regained the Under-19 title, having lost the final to Australia two years ago.
Although England struck early, Aaron George caught at point off Alex Green, the game quickly ran away from them. Sooryavanshi put on 142 in 15 overs alongside India’s captain, Ayush Mhatre, and then 78 out of 89 for the third wicket alongside Vedant Trivedi as the innings went into overdrive.
Having cruised to fifty from 32 balls, he took just 23 more to bring up his first century of the tournament, then another 16 to progress past 150. Sixes rained down around the ground, as England’s spinners, Farhan Ahmed and Ralphie Albert, were treated with disdain – although arguably no shot was more outrageous than the forehand smash off a Green bouncer than somehow went straight back over the bowler’s head into the sightscreen.
He fell completely against the run of play, gloving behind when aiming a slog-sweep at Manny Lumsden, and India’s innings stuttered – at least relative to what had gone before. James Minto bagged three-for as England strove to keep the score below 400, a mark that was breached in the final over.
Mayes struck seven fours and two sixes but fell the ball after retaking top spot from Sooryavanshi on the tournament run-scorers’ list. Thomas Rew, England’s captain, blazed out of the blocks with 31 off 18 and Dawkins notched a 49-ball fifty – but the latter’s dismissal sparked a collapse of 4 for 3 in nine balls as India’s grip tightened.
England were well up with the rate, despite wickets falling, and were given hope by a stand of 92 between Falconer and James Minto. Falconer found the boundary regularly on the way to his maiden hundred, but the requirement had ballooned above 10 an over and England were still 100 runs short when he was finally dismissed.
Brief scores:
India Under 19s 411 for 9 in 50 overs (Vaibhav Sooryavanshi 175, Ayush Mhatre 53, Abhigyan Kundu 40; Sebastian Morgan 2-74, Alex Green 2-49, Ja,es Minto 3-63) beat England Under 19s 311 in 40.2 overs (Caleb Falconer 115, Ben Dawkins 65, Ben Mayes 45; RS Ambrish 3-56, Deepesh Devendran 2-64, Khan8shk Chouhan 2-63) by 100 runs
(Cricinfo)
The USA national team has only four players born in the USA, all of them children of immigrants. The other 11 are first-generation immigrants.
Three of those 11 were born in Pakistan. Their captain Monank Patel, and four others, were born in India. Monank recently told PTI there is “no Indian or Pakistani when you represent the USA.”
This team of Indian, Pakistani, South African and Sri Lankan immigrants will get under the star-sprangled banner and start, against India, their campaign in this T20 World Cup, during whose build-up the world has seemed to grow increasingly polarised.
Make of it what you will. Be relieved that cricket still has room for these niceties, or be despondent that this small win is worth celebrating.
Amid all the politicking, what has probably not been celebrated enough is the T20 excellence India have put together. Over nine editions, the T20 world title has neither been defended successfully nor been won at home. On Saturday, in front of a packed Wankhede Stadium where they won the 2011 ODI title, India will begin their campaign promising that both can be achieved in a month’s time.
Fourteen years ago, Ian Chappell wrote that left-arm spinner Harmeet Singh, born in Mumbai and an Under-19 World Cup winner for India, was ready for international cricket. Watching Harmeet, Chappell was put in the mind of Bishan Singh Bedi. Here he is, an international cricketer via a circuitous route, back in his place of birth to take on the team representing his country of birth.
Six months ago, Ishan Kishan was not even on the World Cup radar. Then Shubman Gill got injured and fell short of runs on his T20I comeback. Kishan blasted all comers during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. So he entered the World Cup squad as the back-up wicketkeeper-batter. Then Sanju Samson fell short of runs. Now, if India’s World Cup warm-up fixture was anything to go by, Kishan is the No. 1 choice to partner Abhishek Sharma at the top. And if he can get off to a good start, he is likely to keep his place for the business end of the tournament.
Washington Sundar, still recovering from a side strain, was not with the squad during their warm-up match against South Africa, but India are going to keep him in their squad. As it is, he is a back-up for Axar Patel, who is the first-choice spin allrounder. Harshit Rana was seen in some discomfort during the warm-up fixture and walked off after bowling just one over. The prognosis for Rana’s participation in this tournament ” doesn’t look good”, India captain Suryakumar Yadav has said, and it is particularly a cause for concern since he is the only genuine fast bowler in the squad who can contribute a few sixes down the order. Tilak Varma has made a successful return to fitness.
India (probable): Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Hardik Pandya, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy.
Andries Gous, who missed USA’s last T20I, the final of the North America T20 Cup last April, should come back as wicketkeeper and opener. Others could drop down a slot each to make up for the absence of the suspended Aaron Jones.
USA (probable): Saiteja Mukkamalla, Andries Gous (wk), Shayan Jahangir, Monank Patel (capt.), Milind Kumar, Harmeet Singh, Shubham Ranjane, Mohammad Mohsin, Shadley van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan
[Cricinfo]
An apparent suicide attack at a Shia mosque in Islamabad has killed at least 31 people and wounded dozens more, in one of the worst such incidents to hit Pakistan’s capital.
The powerful explosion occurred at Khadija Tul Kubra mosque, in southeastern Islamabad’s Tarlai Kalan area, during Friday prayers.
A senior police official told Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity the explosion appeared to be a suicide attack but the conclusive cause is yet to be determined.
“Our team is present at the site and we’re in process of confirming the cause,” he said.
A security source told told AFP news agency on condition of anonymity the attacker detonated himself after being stopped at the gate of the mosque.
In a statement, Islamabad administration said 169 people were transferred to hospital after rescue teams reached the site of the explosion.
Footage shared on social media and verified by Al Jazeera showed bloodied bodies laying on the floor of the mosque, surrounded by broken glass and debris.
At the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences hospital, AFP journalists saw several adults and children being carried in on stretchers or by their arms and legs.
Medics and bystanders helped unload victims with blood-soaked clothes from the back of ambulances and vehicles. At least one casualty arrived in the boot of a car, while friends and relatives of the wounded screamed as they arrived at the hospital’s heavily guarded emergency ward, the news agency reported.
In a statement, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “deep grief” following the incident.
In November last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens
(Aljazeera)
Sooryavanshi 175 makes India six-time Under-19 world champions
Mighty India meet multicultural USA in polarised World Cup
At least 31 killed, dozens wounded in Islamabad mosque blast
The SSC finally steps out of the sunshine and into the floodlights
SAARC journalists meet in New Delhi
Governor of Gujarat met with Sri Lanka PM to discuss exposition of Devnimori Relics
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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