Aviation Minister rules out operator safety issues in Baramati crash

Hyderabad: Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on Wednesday, January 28, said AAIB will take an in-depth look into the plane crash at the Baramati airport, and there are no safety concerns regarding the aircraft’s operator.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and four others died in a Learjet 45 aircraft accident on Wednesday morning.

The aircraft, bearing registration VT-SSK, was being operated by the Delhi-based non-scheduled operator VSR Ventures Pvt Ltd.

Teams from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are at the crash site, Naidu said.

Talking to media persons on the sidelines of the aviation summit Wings India 2026 about the crash, Naidu said, “We just need (an) in-depth look” at what happened that time.

The minister spoke after he visited the crash site at Baramati.

On whether there were any safety concerns related to the operator, Naidu replied in the negative.

“The DGCA has thoroughly checked, and all the approvals have been given, and the organisation also seems to have gone through one assessment last year itself…So, on that side, we don’t see any (concerns) and they have been handling many flights…,” the minister said.

Responding to queries about uncontrolled airfields and flying training organisations, the minister also said things will be looked at and if any reforms are required, “definitely, we will go ahead”.

The Pilot In Command (PIC) of the crashed plane had more than 15,000 flying hours and was an experienced person.

“So, there is no problem on that side…,” he said.

When asked whether the Learjets have any safety concerns globally, Naidu said nothing has come to their notice.

Describing it as a “very unfortunate incident”, Naidu also emphasised that he wants to talk only on the inputs from the AAIB.

In response to a query about rumours related to the accident, the minister said some are like false narratives and “I want to base what I am speaking on true facts”.