Air India Flight 182
Picture taken of the aircraft involved, VT-EFO, landing at London Heathrow Airport on 10 June, less than two weeks before its destruction.
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| Bombing summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 June 1985 |
| Summary | Aviation bombing |
| Site | Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Ireland 51°3.6′N 12°49′W / 51.0600°N 12.817°WCoordinates: 51°3.6′N 12°49′W / 51.0600°N 12.817°W |
| Passengers | 307 |
| Crew | 22 |
| Fatalities | 329 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 747-237B |
| Aircraft name | Emperor Kanishka |
| Operator | Air India |
| Registration | VT-EFO |
| Flight origin |
Toronto (as Flight 181) Montréal-Mirabel Int'l Airport Montreal, Quebec, Canada |
| Stopover |
London Heathrow Airport London, United Kingdom |
| Last stopover |
Indira Gandhi Int'l Airport New Delhi, India |
| Destination |
Sahar International Airport Bombay, India |
 Photos of VT-EFO at Airliners.net
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Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Toronto–Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the Boeing 747-237B serving the flight (c/n 21473/330, registration VT-EFO, "Emperor Kanishka") was destroyed by a bomb at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 m). It crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace. It was the first bombing of a 747 jumbo jet. A total of 329 people were killed, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens. The incident was the largest mass murder in Canadian history. It was the deadliest terrorist attack involving an airplane until the September 11, 2001, attacks. It is also the deadliest aircraft bombing. The bombing of Air India 182 occurred at the same time as the Narita Airport bombing. Investigators believe that the two plots were linked, and that those responsible were aiming for a double bombing. However, the bomb at Narita exploded before it could be loaded onto the plane.
Canadian law enforcement determined that the main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. The attack is thought to have been a retaliation against India for the operation carried out by the Indian Army, Operation Blue Star, to flush out several hundred Sikh militants who were within the premises of the Golden temple and the surrounding structures ordered by the Indian government, headed by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Though a handful of members were arrested and tried, Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian national, remains the only person convicted of involvement in the bombing. Singh pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison for building the bombs that exploded aboard Flight 182 and at Narita.
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