Redbird Under Scanner For Flouting Tender Norms, History Of Corrupt Practices Surfaces After Air Crash In Jharkhand Kills 7

New Delhi: After an air ambulance, operated by Redbird airways, crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra District on Monday evening killing all seven people onboard, the airline’s alleged history of corruption, and regulatory violations was brought under renewed scrutiny on Tuesday.

Information accessed by Republic TV pointed out that the company had previously been flagged for fraudulent practices. Redbird Airways was reportedly also under the scanner of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) for the past few weeks prior to the crash. Redbird had allegedly been served show cause notices by regulatory authorities in the past for not adhering to regulatory protocols.

Redbird was also flagged earlier by court for a possible conflict of interest involving the company for flouting tender norms. According to documents cited by sources, tender rules barred bidders from having direct or indirect links with any air carrier. Following the fatal crash, questions are now being raised whether airline linkages were deliberately downplayed in a high value public tender.

The founder of the company, Akshay Kumar, is also under focus over his alleged association with regulators and officials at the time Redbird secured its licence. The airline reportedly began operations in 2018 and received its licence in 2022. It thus remains to be examined whether due diligence was followed during the process of acquiring the license or not.

Website Taken Down, AAIB Team Reaches Delhi Office

Following the crash, Redbird Airways’ official website went into maintenance mode and remained inaccessible since this morning. The development came as the AAIB team reached the company’s office in New Delhi as part of the ongoing probe.

Sources said employees of Redbird Airways will also be questioned as a part of the probe.

What Happened in Jharkhand

The chartered air ambulance crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district after losing contact with Air Traffic Control shortly after taking off from Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport. The aircraft was en route to Delhi and was carrying seven people, including a patient, a doctor, a paramedic, two attendants, and the pilot and co pilot. There were no survivors.

According to air traffic sources, the pilot requested for a reroute around 10 minutes after takeoff owing to adverse weather condtions and low visibility. Between 7.20 pm and 7.21 pm, the pilot requested diversion from ATC. The last radio contact was recorded at 7.34 pm with Kolkata Area Control, after which the aircraft disappeared completely from radar.

Debris was later discovered near Simaria in Chatra district.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation confirmed that the aircraft lost radar contact after deviating from its intended route. The Rescue Coordination Centre in Kolkata was activated at 8.05 pm, and local authorities were alerted for search and recovery operations.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a detailed investigation into the crash.

Also read: Thunderstorm, ATC Call, Then Silence: What Likely Caused the Ranchi-Delhi Air Ambulance Crash