Air India Flight 182 operated the Toronto–Montreal–London–Delhi route. On the 23rd June 1985, at 7:13 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, Air India 182, a Boeing 747-200 (registration VT-EFO) disintegrated in midair at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,448 m), while doing the Montreal, Mirabel (YMX / CYMX) - London, Heathrow (LHR / EGLL) leg as a result of the explosion from a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists. The remnants of the airliner and all aboard fell into the Atlantic Ocean approximately 120 miles (193km) west-southwest of the southwest tip of Ireland, killing all aboard. It killed 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens and 24 Indian citizens. 82 of those killed were children under the age of 13. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is the largest mass killing in Canadian history, and was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in 2001. The bombing of this flight 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 the main suspects in the bombing were members of the Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa. The attack is thought to have been in retaliation for the Indian government's Operation Blue Star in which the Indian Army entered the Golden Temple in Amritsar to remove occupying Sikh militants. Although a handful of members were arrested and tried for the Air India bombing, the only person convicted was Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian national and a member of the ISYF, who pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter. He was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for assembling the bombs that exploded on board Air India Flight 182 and at Narita.
Air India 182 was only 45 minutes away from landing in London.
Aircraft Information
Airline: Air India
Code: AI/AIC
Aircraft: Boeing 747-237B
Registration: VT-EFO
Serial Number:21473
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