NEW DELHI – A preliminary report into last month’s catastrophic Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash, which claimed 260 lives and stands as the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade, has revealed a critical moment of confusion in the cockpit after the aircraft’s engines abruptly lost fuel just seconds after takeoff.

At least two pilot unions in India have strongly rebutted speculation that pilot error or intentional action caused the crash. On social media, many have accused sections of the international press of bias. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has publicly questioned why the report was leaked to the western media before its official publication.

Wreckage of the crashed Air India Plane is lying at the Ahmedabad Airport premises in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, on July 12, 2025. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu