41% Indian air travelers surveyed are now looking at flight aircraft type before undertaking air travel

June 18, 2025, New Delhi: Indian air travelers, especially those who have existing flight bookings for international travel in the coming months or those who are in the process of making them have become increasingly concerned post the Air India Boeing 787-8 crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12th, leading to the death of around 270 people. With increasing number of delays and cancellations related to flights operating the 787-8 post the crash, many air travelers have been expressing their concerns on LocalCircles and other social media platforms about the safety of this aircraft type and whether it is safe to travel.

The U.S. administration—through the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) —is formally collaborating with Indian authorities to determine if there is any fault in Boeing’s aircraft that contributed to the crash.The US participation is part of standard international aviation protocols under International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) rules, but this case is especially high-profile as it’s the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The investigators are examining engine performance and possible dual power failure that led to a “Mayday… no power” call just before impact. The mechanical systems, including thrust, flaps, landing gear functionality, and electrical systems, and the maintenance history is being probed. The last is to examine whether Boeing’s workmanship or quality control played a role in the crash.

Since the Ahmedabad crash, Air India has cancelled 66 flights to be operated with Boeing 787 between June 12th and June 17th. Multiple flights have been cancelled or delayed citing technical issues have also been reported. For example: The British Airways flight BA 35 on June 15th (London to Chennai) departed Heathrow, then returned to London after take-off (1:15 pm BST) due to suspected wing-flap malfunction. It dumped fuel and landed safely around 1:50 pm, with 214 passengers onboard. In another case, Air India Flight AI 315 on June 16th (Hong Kong to New Delhi) climbed to 22,000 ft, then diverted back to Hong Kong due to a mid-air technical issue. Reports allege that pilots are not willing to take any chance at the first sign of any malfunction in the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Even as the Indian authorities probe the reasons for the biggest aviation disaster in India in this century so far, LocalCircles has attempted to capture the public sentiment and understand if the approach of air passengers has changed when undertaking air travel and if they are checking the aircraft type when booking a flight or undertaking travel. Also, given the concerns about Boeing 787-8 specifically amongst Indian air travelers and the investigation results yet to come, the survey attempted to capture the pulse of the air traveler on grounding the 787-8 aircraft in India, till the time all issues are known and sorted. The survey received over 40,000 responses from air travelers located in 294 districts of India. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 47% respondents were from tier 1, 32% from tier 2 and 21% respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 and rural districts.

41% Indians surveyed who are likely to undertake air travel in the coming months will also check aircraft type the airlines are using for the flight

Given the growing belief that mechanical and technical faults had led to the Boeing 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad, the survey asked airline travelers, “If you plan to undertake air travel in the coming months, what all would you be looking at before booking/ travel?” Some among 19,599 who responded to the question indicated more than one option. The largest group of 73% stated they would be looking at “airfare”; 64% of respondents stated “flight timings”; 59% of respondents stated “airline”; 41% of respondents stated "flight connections & duration”; 41% of respondents stated "aircraft type”; 14% of respondents stated "other parameters not listed above” and 5% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 41% Indians surveyed, who are likely to undertake air travel in the coming months, will also check aircraft type the airlines are using for the flight. In past surveys conducted in 2022, only 10% air travelers had indicated that they looked at the aircraft type before travelling marking a significant jump to 41% in 2025 post the crash.

56% airline travelers surveyed in India in favour of Government grounding Boeing 787-8 till all issues are investigated and sorted

The survey next asked airline travelers, “Multiple incidents globally have been reported with the Boeing 787-8 aircraft post the unfortunate Air India 787-8 crash in Ahmedabad. In the light of this, should Government of India consider grounding the 787-8 aircrafts till the issues are sorted?” Out of 20,742 airline travelers who responded to the question 56% stated “yes, they must be grounded”; 34% of respondents however stated “no, they shouldn’t be grounded till there is clear evidence of an issue” and 10% of respondents did not give a clear answer. To sum up, 56% airline travelers surveyed in India are in favour of Government grounding Boeing 787-8 till all issues are investigated and sorted. So far the DGCA has not found any major safety concerns in its latest surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet with all 24 aircrafts passing safety checks and meeting current standards. 9 aircrafts are yet to be examined by the DGCA.

In summary, after the disastrous Boeing 787-8 air crash in Ahmedabad, the LocalCircles study has found that 41% of Indians surveyed, who are likely to undertake air travel in the coming months, will also be checking the aircraft type the airlines are using before booking or undertaking a flight marking a major jump from 2022 when only 10% travelers were looking for such information.

With the crash and multiple technical issues reported with flights operated using the 787-8 aircraft leading to cancellation or delay of the flights, 56% airline travelers surveyed in India are in favour of the government grounding Boeing 787-8 aircraft being operated till all issues are investigated and sorted. The fact that multiple flights have made precautionary returns in the last few days after snags were detected in the aircraft reveals that pilots operating these aircraft are not willing to take any risk which is how it should be. The DGCA must complete its examination of all 33 aircrafts along with a detailed assessment of maintenance practices followed for them in the past year by Air India and its partners before making a final decision on whether the Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft are fit for flying. Such a move will help towards restoring confidence of the Indian air travelers.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 40,000 responses from air travellers located in 294 districts of India. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 47% respondents were from tier 1, 32% from tier 2 and 21% respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 and rural districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.