The Air India AI-171 crash near Ahmedabad airport has left behind more than just wreckage. It has left families devastated, careers cut short, and a city in grief. Amid all that’s being said about aircraft performance, weather, and pilot decisions, a quieter but harsher truth is coming to light — this tragedy on the ground (at the medical college hostel) could have been avoided if proper building norms and smarter urban planning around airports had been followed. Past disasters have already shown how densely populated areas near runways can turn aviation accidents into large-scale tragedies. In 2020, Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 crashed into Karachi’s Model Colony, a crowded residential area just short of the runway, killing 97 people. In 2012, Dana Air Flight 992 fell into a suburb of Lagos, wiping out entire families.
Even in New York, American Airlines Flight 587 crashed over the Belle Harbor neighbourhood in Queens. The tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, along with the examples above, brings into sharp focus the urgent need for better urban planning - especially within the 5-kilometre radius of major airports. The 5 km radius around airports has long been considered a sensitive zone — not necessarily because buildings within it are illegal or too tall, but because it is a critical safety zone for aircraft during take-off and landing, the most vulnerable phases of flight. Traditionally in India, during British rule, airports (unlike railway stations) were built far away from populated areas. For example, when Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport and Palam Airport were built, there were very few settlements nearby — only a few army barracks around Safdarjung (now known as Lodhi Colony) and the old, sparsely populated villages of Mehram Nagar and Palam around Palam Airport. In those days, air crashes were more frequent, and placing airports away from populated areas was a deliberate step to avoid ground casualties. Even today, airports in tier-II towns are located at a fair distance from cities, although the growing urban sprawl is now fast approaching them as well. After independence, as India witnessed a massive surge in population and rapid urbanisation, cities began expanding in all directions. The airports that were once located far from residential and commercial zones gradually found themselves surrounded by growing urban settlements. With the rise in land demand, areas around airports have become highly sought after due to their excellent connectivity and strategic location, significantly pushing up real estate values. This led to high-density development near airport boundaries.
However, this unchecked growth brought with it serious concerns like constructing buildings near active flight paths not just from a flight safety perspective, but also from a security point of view. As a result, managing construction and land use near airports became a critical issue, demanding a careful balance between urban development and the uncompromising need for aviation safety and security.Globally, aviation authorities, including India’s DGCA and AAI, have issued detailed zoning maps for every major airport. There is a formal process to apply for height clearance of any structure. All international airports in India follow Obstacle Limitation Surfaces (OLS) — a set of 3D safety rules that make sure aircraft have enough space to climb and descend without danger. These OLS regulations, overseen by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and DGCA, are not optional. They are strict safety norms. Structures within 5 km of a runway face the toughest height limits.
The hostel where the recent crash caused casualties was most likely within the permitted height as per AAI rules. But what often escapes attention is not just height, but the density of the human population in such areas. Even if buildings technically follow all safety norms, the presence of thousands of people living or working near a runway increases the risk in case of crashes, aborted landings, or engine failure during low-altitude flights. This is what makes the crash of AI-171 even more tragic. This raises a critical and timely question: Is it time to completely rethink how we plan our cities around airports — or even relocate airports themselves? Hyderabad has already done it. The old Begumpet Airport was relocated to Shamshabad, about 24 km south of the city centre, to allow for future expansion and improved safety. With urban sprawl rapidly swallowing earlier remote zones, many airports in cities like Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Chennai now find themselves trapped amid dense residential, institutional, and commercial structures.
The AI-171 crash should serve as a wake-up call. Not necessarily because rules were violated, but because the current model of reactive urban planning — where development chases growth without long-term thinking — is failing to safeguard lives. If airports are to expand safely along with cities, we may need to reimagine their place on the map.
That means moving older airports beyond city boundaries where possible, enforcing no-build or low-density zones around newer ones, and treating the 5 km airport radius not just as a regulatory guideline, but as a life-saving buffer zone.Urban planning must take into account not just real estate needs, but safety and long-term sustainability. The tragedy of AI-171 is not just a story of an aircraft gone wrong - it’s also a story of a city that grew too close to danger.
(The writer is an aviation expert. Views expressed are personal)
