It could take weeks, if not months, for the exact cause of the plane crash to become clear.

But the pilot’s mayday call of “no thrust” and a “lack of power” indicates a mechanical, electrical, or external issue likely plagued the General Electric engines of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on take-off.

A lack of thrust, perhaps worsened by other factors, could have brought about the aircraft’s demise.

Experts have already outlined a number of possible reasons why flight AI171 crashed in a ball of fire after less than a minute in the air.

Prof John McDermid, Lloyd’s Register chair of safety at the University of York, said: “Take-off and landing are the most dangerous phases of flight – accidents from cruise are very unusual.

“However, that said, it’s surprising that the accident occurred before the aircraft had even got to 200-metres altitude.

“Pilots can abort take-off until quite late in the take-off roll, so it seems like the problem occurred very suddenly in the final part of the take-off roll, or shortly after take-off, and was sufficiently serious to be unmanageable.

“Given the levels of redundancy in systems, the fact that aircraft are designed to climb out on only one engine, etc. on initial sight this seems a very surprising accident.”

BS Siwach, the former director general of Aviation Safety India, said: “The pilots were highly qualified and accomplished professionals. The unfortunate thing which happened is that at about 400-odd feet, the aircraft suffered loss of power.”