Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson was summoned to a high-level meeting with senior government officials on Tuesday, 11 August over the serious mid-air turbulence incident involving the airline's Phuket-Delhi flight AI2379, which plummeted 300 feet at an altitude of 36,000 feet on 4 August, leaving 17 passengers seriously injured, according to sources.

Who Was in the Room

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha chaired the meeting, with Director General of Civil Aviation Vir Vikram Yadav and Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Director General G.V.G. Yugandhar also present. Wilson was accompanied by Pradeep Singh Kharola, Executive Advisor to Tata Sons Chairman and a former Civil Aviation Secretary, and Air India's Head of Flight Safety Deepak Joshi. The Civil Aviation Ministry sought a detailed explanation of the incident from the three senior airline executives, according to sources.

What Went Wrong on Flight AI2379

The aircraft involved was an Airbus A320neo registered as VT-EXO, operating the Phuket-to-Delhi route. Beyond the sudden altitude drop, sources indicate the flight also experienced hydraulic failures and the autopilot disconnecting mid-flight — compounding what investigators are now treating as a multi-system event. The AAIB has formally classified the occurrence as a serious incident.

International Investigators Join the Probe

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus and France's Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA), the French aviation accident investigation agency, are set to join the investigation. Airbus's participation is standard under the framework of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13, which allows manufacturers to provide technical assistance — including help analysing aircraft systems, flight data, and technical records. Both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder have been secured and are being examined to reconstruct the sequence of events.

Pilots Removed, Drug Test Raises Questions

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has removed both pilots from active duty pending the outcome of the investigation. Post-flight screening for psychoactive substances was conducted after the crew landed in Delhi. The initial test result for the pilot-in-command was described as 'not negative' by the Civil Aviation Ministry, and the sample has been sent for a confirmatory test. The government has stated that further action will depend on the investigation's findings and the confirmatory test result.

What Comes Next

Investigators are examining the crew's actions during the altitude variation alongside the aircraft's technical data. The involvement of Airbus and BEA signals that the probe will extend beyond India's domestic regulatory framework. With the AAIB, DGCA, and the Civil Aviation Ministry all actively engaged, and an international manufacturer in the loop, the findings are expected to have broader implications for how similar incidents on A320-family aircraft are handled across Indian carriers. All eyes are now on the confirmatory substance-test result and the AAIB's preliminary report.