Air India Flight 182 Bombing: What Happened and How Victims Are Being Remembered 40 Years On

One conviction after 40 years as families refuse to let Canada forget its darkest day and call it an unfinished chapter.

As they hold memorial services which echo across the two continents, one devastating truth overshadows every tribute: only one person has been convicted for this mass murder.

On 23 June 1985, an Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 named Emperor Kanishka, exploded mid-air off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 passengers and crew, including 268 Canadians, 27 British, and 22 Indians. The bombing attributed to Sikh separatists, remains Canada's deadliest terror attack.

Forty years later, families are honouring the victims through memorials and renewed calls for justice, while reflecting on the tragedy's lasting impact.

Revisit the Tragic Day

The Air India Flight 181 on 22 June 1985 departed Toronto Pearson International Airport, delayed by a spare engine installation, and arrived at Montréal-Mirabel as Flight 182.

En route to London, a bomb planted in Vancouver detonated at 31,000 feet, 190 kilometres off Ireland's coast, disintegrating the aircraft.

A related explosion at Tokyo's Narita Airport killed two baggage handlers, linked to the same plot by Sikh extremists seeking a Khalistan state.

The Vancouver Sun reported on 23 June 2025 that Canadian authorities' failure to act on warnings, including a June 1985 Air India telex about a potential bomb, contributed to the disaster.

The 2010 inquiry by Justice John Major called it a 'cascading series of errors,' highlighting ignored intelligence and poor coordination between agencies.

Only one suspect, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted, pleading guilty to manslaughter in 2003, fuelling ongoing frustration over justice.

Honour Victims with Memorials

Across Canada and Ireland, 2025 marks poignant tributes for the 40th anniversary. In Toronto, a memorial service at the waterfront Air India Flight 182 Memorial on 21 June saw families, including Deepak Khandelwal, who lost his sisters, lay flowers.

In Vancouver, Stanley Park's memorial hosts an annual vigil, with a 23 June 2025 ceremony led by the Air India 182 Victims Families Association.

CBC said that Montreal and Ottawa also held events, while Ireland's Ahakista memorial, featuring a sundial marking the exact time of the explosion (8:13 am), welcomed Canadian and Indian diplomats.

McMaster University's new archive, launched in May 2025, preserves artefacts and stories, aiming to keep the tragedy in Canada's consciousness.

Families express disappointment at low public awareness, with some, like Bal Gupta, calling for more educational efforts.

Demand Justice and Awareness

The lack of convictions beyond Reyat, who served time for manslaughter and perjury, remains a sore point.

BBC News reported on 27 September 2023 that families criticise Canada's initial apathy and mishandled investigation, with a 2005 acquittal of two suspects deepening their pain.

Families are urging governments to teach this tragedy in schools to prevent fading memories.

The Kanishka Project, a £73 million ($10 million) Canadian initiative from 2011, funded terrorism research, but victims' relatives seek more action to address root causes and ensure such failures don't recur.

Keep Their Memory Alive

Forty years on, the Air India Flight 182 bombing remains a wound for families and a lesson for Canada. With only one conviction and lingering questions about Canada's response, families' resilience, seen in archives, vigils, and advocacy, keeps the tragedy's legacy alive.

Families light candles in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa. Each flame represents a life that mattered beyond newspaper headlines and government statistics.

Justice delayed becomes justice denied. The families understand this better than politicians or prosecutors who moved on to other cases decades ago.

Emperor Kanishka fell from the sky carrying dreams, ambitions, love letters, and birthday presents.

The aircraft shattered into countless pieces.

Some families are still waiting for theirs to be found.

The search for justice continues, forty years and counting.