The crash deals a fresh blow to the beleaguered U.S. plane maker, which has been mired by safety and production issues in recent years.

The Air India crash represents the first fatal incident involving Boeing's 787 Dreamliner and comes shortly after the aviation giant declared it was finally emerging from one of the most torrid period

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off for its first flight on December 15, 2009, and has flown over a billion passengers. Since entering service in 2011, it had the enviable record of having no fatal accidents - but all that changed on Thursday.