After the tragic Air India Flight 171 crash killed over 200 people, aviation experts are reassuring viewers on This Morning that aviation is still one of the safest ways to travel

Two aviation experts have spoken out following the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, which killed at least 241 people on board and eight more on the ground, insisting that air travel remains one of the safest modes of transport.

Airline Captain Emma Henderson MBE appeared on ITV’s This Morning, telling viewers that while plane-related tragedies are devastating, they remain incredibly rare. She said: “Of course there is a risk when you go into a metal container that is seven miles above the planet.

“There is an element of risk to everything we do, but it is still more dangerous to ride your bike down the street or to get in a car than it is to fly on an aircraft.”

One woman emphasised the dangers of travelling by bike or car in comparison to flying(Image: ITV)

She continued to defend air travel, adding: “What doesn’t make the news is the boring story of the aircraft taking off, flying where it’s supposed to, and landing again. We do learn in aviation from the mistakes that have happened or design errors that have happened. Whatever the findings are from this investigation, procedures will be put in place to make sure this can never happen again.”

Meanwhile, Captain Mike Davis insisted: “There’s been learning since the dawn of aviation. Things happen, procedures are set in place, design changes are made to prevent it happening again. So every incident, it gets safer.”

The expert comments come in the wake of one of the worst aviation disasters since the tragic 9/11 terror attacks. Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed into a residential area in Ahmedabad just minutes after take-off on Thursday (June 12).

The aircraft issued a mayday call moments before vanishing from radar, with the captain saying: “Mayday… no thrust, losing power, unable to lift.”

Eyewitnesses captured harrowing footage of the plane descending nose-up before exploding in a massive fireball. There were 241 passengers on board along with crew members.

The crash also claimed the lives of eight people on the ground, including medical students and their family members living in nearby buildings.

British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, miraculously survived the crash. He has spoken to press from the hospital, saying: “The lights started flickering — green and white — then the plane rammed into some establishment… I saw people dying in front of my eyes. I don’t know how I survived.”

His family in Leicester said they were “devastated” to learn of the crash and shocked that Vishwash made it out alive. He has been treated for facial injuries and was pictured being comforted by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a hospital visit.

Former This Morning editor Martin Frizell has paid tribute to a former guest on the show, wellness coach Fiongal Greenlaw, who is feared to have died in the crash along with his husband Jamie Meek.

Martin said Fiongal was “vibrant and full of enthusiasm” during his appearance on the ITV show, adding: “Thoughts are with his family and friends and those of his partner Jamie.”

Investigators are hoping to find out what exactly caused the catastrophic engine failure after recovering a black box from the Air India Flight 171.

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