India's aircraft accident investigation body said on Thursday it was too early to reach any "definite conclusions" on what led to the deadly Air India Boeing plane crash last month that killed 260 people.

In a formal statement issued on July 17, AAIB emphasised that the preliminary report only outlines "what" happened, not why, and urged the media and public to avoid speculative or selective interpretations.

The report and India’s inspection order referred to an advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration in 2018 that recommended that carriers using Boeing models, including the 787, inspect the locking mechanism of the fuel control switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally.