After Ahmedabad Crash, Questions Resurface About Air India’s Flight Safety Chief’s Record

The tragic Air India Ahmedabad crash has sparked renewed scrutiny of the airline’s safety protocols, including the appointment of its top flight operations executive, Capt. Manish Uppal—who was previously suspended over safety violations during his tenure at AirAsia India.  

On Thursday, the Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed a few minutes after take off, killing 241 of the 242 people on-board, in one of the worst aviation disasters. Investigations are currently underway to determine the cause of the accident. However, the incident has sparked an online debate about the airline’s accountability, especially with Capt. Manish Uppal now overseeing flight operations.  

Former AirAsia pilot and YouTuber Gaurav Taneja, in a post on social media platform X on Friday, raised the issue of Capt. Uppal’s previous suspension, following Taneja’s allegation over AirAsia India’s flight safety in 2020. Uppal, who was then AirAsia’s Head of Operations, was suspended by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over safety lapses.  

Outlook Business has sent queries to Air India and the DGCA. The story will be updated once their reply is received. 

On Friday, Taneja wrote on X, “In May 2020, I raised serious flight safety concerns against #AirAsia. DGCA investigated safety lapses found and suspended 2 top officials. Who was the top boss- Capt. Manish Uppal (also suspended).” 

“Today, after the merger of Air Asia, Vistara and Air India. Guess who is the top boss of flight operations at Air India Capt. Manish Uppal,” he added. 

AirAsia India was merged with Air India Express in October 2024.

With over 20 years of experience, especially in civil aviation management roles, Uppal is currently the Head of Flight Operations at Tata-owned Air India in 2023, as per the company website. In a statement in October 2023, the company had said, “...Capt. Manish Uppal, who transitioned from Air Asia India a few months ago, has been appointed as Senior Vice President Flight Operations.”

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Allegations Against Manish Uppal  

Trouble for former AirAsia’s India Head of Operations, Manish Uppal, began in 2020 after Taneja alleged concerns over safety norms of the low-cost airline. Following the accusations made by the YouTuber, the DGCA, in an investigation, found serious “safety violations” by the low-cost carrier. The regulator had then suspended two senior executives of AirAsia India, including Manish Uppal, for a period of three months. 

“We had issued a show cause notice to two AirAsia India executives- Head of Operations Manish Uppal and Head of Flight Safety Mukesh Nema—in June only. It has been decided now to suspend them for a period of three months,” DGCA had said. 

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Taneja had alleged that he was suspended by AirAsia India "for standing up for safe operations of an aircraft and its passengers". In a detailed video on the issue in 2020, where he alleged that the airline had asked its pilots to do 98% of landings in "Flap 3" mode, which allows it to save fuel. He said if a pilot does not do 98% of landings in "Flap 3" mode, the airline considers it a violation of its standard operating procedure (SOP). Such landings are considered less stable, especially in bad weather.