Wild plan unveiled to make planes crash proof with giant airbags following Air India crash

A pair of engineers reckon they have come up with a unique way to make planes crash proof - by kitting them out with giant airbags.

Eshel Wasim and Dharsan Srinivasan aimed to find a way to turn 'fatal crashes into survivable landings' in wake of the devastating Air India disaster earlier this year.

All but one of the 242 people onboard Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London died when the plane plummeted into the BJ Medical College UG hostel on 12 June, 2025.

Incredibly, British national Viswash Kumar Ramesh miraculously survived the terrifying incident that unfolded in the skies.

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) published an interim report on the crash a month later, while voice recordings from the cockpit also emerged.

The AAIB explained that it appeared as though the fuel supplies to the engines of the jet were cut off - causing a loss of power - without either pilot having switched them off.

This 'moment of heartbreak' inspired Wasim and Srinivasan to design a 'system for survival after failure', which led to the conception of 'Project Rebirth'.

The Air India tragedy inspired the engineers to come up with Project Rebirth (Raju Shinde/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

"Rebirth is more than engineering - it’s a response to grief," it's creators said. "A promise that survival can be planned, and that even after failure, there can be a second chance."

The crash survival system would use AI and sensors to monitor altitude, speed, engine status, direction, fire, pilot response, and other factors, which will therefore detect potential danger during a flight.

Project Rebirth said of the technology: "It detects unrecoverable failure and activates automatically - no pilot input needed.

"It deploys smart airbags, impact-absorbing fluids, and reverse thrust mid-air, turning fatal crashes into survivable landings. A second chance, built into every descent.

"It uses five smart technologies to predict crashes, slow the aircraft, protect passengers, and aid rescuers. If a crash is unavoidable below 3,000 ft, it activates automatically (override possible)."

When triggered, the system would deploy 'high-speed airbags' from the nose, belly and tail of the plane in 'under two seconds' which would hopefully cushion the blow in the event of a crash.

The AI-powered system would use huge airbags to cushion the landing of doomed planes (Project Rebirth)

These airbags would be made of layered fabric that would absorb the impact and 'protect the plane's body', ensuring a softer landing if the worst happened.

According to Project Rebirth, the airbags would 'absorb deadly impact forces like a crumple zone in the sky'.

The safety system hopes that the use of reverse thrust - that decelerates an aircraft after landing - would also 'slow the descent' of a plane in distress, but if it didn't, there's a back up plan.

"If not, gas thrusters activate," Wasim and Srinivasan said. "This reduces speed and stabilises the plane by 8–20%."

Impact-absorbing fluids would also be installed behind walls and seats on the plane, which 'stay soft but harden on impact to reduce injuries'.

To help rescuers locate the crash site, the aircraft would also be kitted out with rescue aids including a bright orange shell, GPS, infrared beacons, and exit lights.

Wasim and Srinivasan have submitted their design to this year's James Dyson Award (Project Rebirth)

According to the masterminds from the Dubai campus of Birla Institute of Technology And Science, who are behind Project Rebirth, the system could be added to existing planes or built into new ones.

The pair researched tons of crash reports and military landing systems and realised that 'most fatalities result from impact, not explosion', prompting them to focus on three pillars: cushioning impact, reducing descent speed, and absorbing energy.

"The system alerts pilots, deploys airbags directionally, slows descent, and prepares cabin for crash," the designers said. "Expert feedback led to pilot overrides, safety seals, and modular designs.

"Today, Rebirth is ready for scaled testing, with schematics, simulations, and materials data prepared. Our goal is to partner with aerospace labs for crash sled and wind tunnel testing."

The safety system is one of the finalists for this year's James Dyson Award, an international design competition that champions 'new problem-solving ideas'.

The remaining contenders will be shortlisted on 15 October, before the winner - who will £30,000 and the chance to bring their idea to life - is announced on 5 November.