On June 23, 1985, bombs exploded on Air India Flight 182 off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 passengers and crew aboard. The attack remains the deadliest act of terrorism in Canadian history and continues to shape national conversations around justice, accountability, and remembrance.
The following flightpath video and interactive timeline trace the events surrounding this disaster through a curated selection of donated artifacts, archival news coverage, and artistic responses. Together, these materials provide context for understanding the bombing, the investigations and public inquiry that followed, and the enduring impacts on individuals, families, and communities.
We hope this multimedia project will make the history of Flight 182 more accessible, encouraging viewers to engage with the Air India Flight 182 tragedy as an ongoing story of memory, justice, and public reckoning.
Air India Flight 182 Ahakista Memorial, Cork, Ireland; photo by Sanjay Lazar
Flightpath Timeline Video
The Air India Flight 182 Disaster Timeline video provides an overview of the events leading up to and unfolding on June 23, 1985. Through narration, mapping, and visual storytelling, it introduces key moments, actors, and contexts that shaped the tragedy and its immediate aftermath.
Created by: Frank Wang and Alejandro Franco Briones
Voiced by: Shaden Ahmed
Special thanks to: Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty, Dr. Constantine Gidaris, Dr. David Ogborn, and the Air India Flight 182 Archive Team
Divided in two parts, the Air India Flight 182 Interactive Timeline offers a detailed exploration of the bombing and its aftermath, as told through mixed media and archival documents.
Part 1 begins on June 23, 1985, and follows the immediate response to the bombing through to the Air India Flight 182 trial, tracing key developments in the investigation and legal proceedings.
Part 2 focuses on the Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182, chaired by Supreme Court Justice John Major that declared Air India Flight 182 as a Canadian tragedy. It also highlights the establishment of memorial sites, reflecting ongoing efforts to demand justice, remember the lives lost, and honour the grief of families, friends and the wider community who continue to live with this loss.