US Department of Transportation Secretary Duffy mourns loss of lives in AI flight crash

Duffy wrote on X: "Our hearts go out to the families of the victims who lost loved ones on Air India flight AI 171."

"@FAANews investigators are deploying to assist in the investigation, and
@USDOT is prepared to assist India with anything it needs to investigate this tragedy," he said.

He further said: "Safety is our top priority and we’ll take action should any recommendations come forward from the NTSB’s investigation. "

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Saturday acknowledged the need for an "extended surveillance into Boeing 787 Series" aircraft in the aftermath of the Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 274 including on-ground people.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already given its order for "extended surveillance for the 787 planes".

"We have very strict safety standards in the country...When the incident happened, we also felt that there is a need to do an extended surveillance into the Boeing 787 Series. DGCA has also given an order to do the extended surveillance for the 787 planes.

"There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that 8 have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done...," the minister said.

While 241 onboard passengers and crew members died in the crash, another 33 on ground were killed in the tragedy that has sent shockwaves across the country and brought the Boeing 787-7 Dreamliner under scrutiny.

Out of 242, 230 were passengers and 12 were crew members.

One person, the passenger of seat No. 11A,  survived the crash miraculously.

Ramesh, a British-Indian who was returning to the UK after a visit to India, is the lone survivor in the mishap.

The central government has formed a high-level multi-disciplinary committee to examine the causes that led to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport in London.