Air India to Replace Flight AI 171 with a New Flight Code: Explanation Provided

Ahmedabad Tragedy: Air India renaming Flight AI 171 to AI 159 📅 Jun - Jul 2025

After the tragic crash of Air India flight AI 171 less than a minute after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, the airline has chosen to rename the flight to avoid stirring up painful memories.

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Our sources close to the situation reveal that the renumbered flight will now be known as AI 159 for the journey to Gatwick Airport, while the return flight will become AI 160.

On Thursday, June 12, flight AI 171 took off with 242 passengers and 12 crew members only to crash. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited the crash site, confirmed that only one passenger survived. Over 270 people lost their lives, many of them as a result of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner colliding with a hostel of a medical college.

Aviation Industry Response after Tragedy

Changing a flight's number in response to crashes or serious incidents is a common practice in the airline industry to distance themselves from past tragedies and reduce any negative associations with the flight numbers. Although Aeroperú's case of changing the flight number of its Miami-Lima-Santiago Boeing 757 service from Flight 603 to Flight 691 after a fatal crash in 1996 is well-documented, this practice is widespread throughout the industry.

As it turns out, several airlines worldwide have similar sensitivity measures in place. Although not every airline publicly announces these changes, it is common for them to do so in private to avoid reminding passengers and crew of past tragedies.

(With inputs from multiple news reports)

Additional Reading:1. Aeroperú Flight 603 - After this fatal crash on October 2, 1996, claiming the lives of all 70 people on board, Aeroperú changed the flight number of the affected route from 603 to 691 to distance the flight from the tragedy.[1]2. (Source: Internet) - More examples of airlines following this practice can be found across the industry, although not all announce the changes publicly. This is done as a sensitivity and marketing measure to distance themselves from past tragedies and provide peace of mind to passengers and crew.

In the aftermath of the Ahmedabad Tragedy, many in the aviation industry may opt to distance themselves from past tragedies by changing flight numbers, similar to what Air India has done with Flight AI 171.
The renaming of Air India flight AI 171 to AI 159 could be part of a larger trend in the industry, as changes in flight numbers after serious incidents are common in finance, transportation, and other sectors.
The practice of changing flight numbers to avoid reminding passengers and crew of past tragedies is not exclusive to the aviation industry, but can also be seen in areas such as general-news and accidents.