Air India pays compensation to kin of two-thirds of Ahmedabad crash victims

Air India on Friday said it has paid the compensation to families of nearly two-thirds of the victims who died in the June 12 plane crash in Ahmedabad.

An Air India Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed moments after takeoff on June 12, killing 260 people onboard and on the ground.

"Our teams have been helping families receive interim compensation. Every affected family is being directly assisted by an Air India representative, with nearly two-thirds having already received payment or are in the final stages," Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson told the airline employees in an internal post.

Tata Sons is in the process of establishing the apparatus to provide longer-term assistance to the families and survivors, the Tata Group-owned airline said.

In an internal post to airline employees, Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson also said the carrier will continue to "invest in upgrading aircraft, products, service, systems, capabilities and, most of all, people".

The crash, one of the worst air disasters in India in decades, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Air India flight AI171.

Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.

Soon after the crash, Air India parent Tata Sons announced that it will provide Rs 1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash.

And on June 14, Air India announced that it will provide an interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh, or approximately GBP 21,500, to the families of each of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash to help address immediate financial needs.

Air India's on-ground presence in Ahmedabad to see this process to completion, he said, will continue for as long as required."  The Air India Chief also said "the process of reuniting next of kin with their loved ones, and repatriating them to their final destinations, is now complete".

"As we transition from the immediate aftermath to mapping the journey ahead, many efforts are underway. Among them, Tata Sons is in the process of establishing the apparatus to provide longer-term assistance to the families and survivors, and will share more when the time is right," Wilson noted.

Air India continues to observe its "Safety Pause", the deliberate temporary scale-back of its international and domestic networks, he said, acknowledging that, besides the customer impact, this temporary curtailment of flights put extra pressure on Air India frontliners in call centres and at airports, and has "disrupted crew rosters".

"The 'pause' was an important and necessary move to accommodate voluntary additional aircraft checks, navigate the volatile international airspace environment and to stabilise our flight schedule to restore faith and trust," Wilson said.

Besides providing extra resilience, the extra aircraft ground time is allowing the airline to accelerate its aircraft reliability enhancement programs, he said.

Air India on June 18 had announced a 15 per cent reduction in international flights operated with widebody planes till mid-July as amid operational disruptions due to enhanced safety inspections and geopolitical situation, among others.

"Irrespective of any cause, the accident of AI171 and the loss of so many lives will forever stand as one of our darkest days. It must also signal the start of a new era," Air India chief said in the internal post, adding, "we will continue to invest in upgrading aircraft, products, service, systems, capabilities and, most of all, people".