Vijay Rupani Was Seen Inside Boeing Cockpit Months Before Air India Crash

Former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, who died in an Air India plane crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad, had visited a Boeing cockpit months before the deadly accident.

Mr Rupani's pictures from his visit to Western India Institute of Aeronautics in Ahmedabad's Indus University have resurfaced days after he was killed when a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI 171) flight, with 242 passengers and crew members on board, crashed into a hostel and canteen of a medical college shortly after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. All but one on board the plane died along with 29 on the ground.

Mr Rupani, who visited the University on April 8, shared pictures of himself inside the cockpit of a decommissioned Boeing 737-200 aircraft.

He was seen sitting in the right-hand seat, which is mostly occupied by the first officer (co-pilot).

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A post shared by Vijay Rupani (@vijayrupanibjp)

Mr Rupani was also seen interacting with Radhika Bhandari, the Dean of Aviation at the university, while standing at the door of the aircraft.

"Today, during a visit to the campus of "Indus University" in Ahmedabad, I visited the Western India Institute of Aeronautics. During this visit, I saw models of aircraft like Boeing 737, Cessna, Zenith and Mig-21 and real aircraft," he had written in Gujarati in a post on Instagram.

"During this, the conversation with the students of the Aviation Department became very energetic. I wish the Indian student to make his name bright on the global stage," he added.

Captain Umang Jani, a faculty member at the university who had shown Mr Rupani around, said that he was "very curious" and asked them how the aircraft works.

"I tried to explain and answer his queries regarding the aircraft, the various controls in the cockpit and the functioning of the airliner," he told The Indian Express.

Mr Rupani, who was a member of the Rajya Sabha between 2006 and 2012, served as the chief minister from 2016 to 2021.

Vijay Rupani Cancelled London Ticket Twice

Flying to London on June 12 to meet his wife and daughter was not Vijay Rupani's first choice. He had first booked his ticket for May 19 on flight AI171 and intended to fly back to India on June 25.

With a change in plans, Mr Rupani cancelled his ticket for May 19 and decided to fly on June 5.

However, he cancelled his second ticket too and booked seat number 2D on flight AI 171 for June 12.