A ir India has told Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the Boeing Dreamliner is "one of the safest aircraft in operation" and that over 1,000 of them are currently flying worldwide, sources said. The airline made the statement in its defence following the fatal AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad, which killed 260 people.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) will make public this week its preliminary report on the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in which at least 260 people were killed on June 12, top Bureau officials told a Parliamentary panel on Wednesday.

Passengers onboard a Japan Airlines Boeing Dreamliner 737 were thrown into panic on Monday evening (June 30) when the aircraft abruptly plummeted nearly 26,000 feet mid-air, compelling terrified passengers to don oxygen masks and brace for what many feared could be their final moments.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson also attended the Parliament House for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) meeting in New Delhi. Some members of the Opposition parties have demanded a special audit of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).

Air India's defence came during a PAC meeting that was originally scheduled to discuss "levy charges at airports" but turned into a tense session over the June 12 crash.

Vijay Rupani was seen inside a Boeing cockpit weeks before the deadly Air India crash. Photos from his visit to an aviation institute in Ahmedabad have resurfaced after the tragedy.