Air India Plane Crash: CEO Campbell Wilson Says 'Two-Thirds' Of Victims' Kin Compensated

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Almost a month after the London's Gatwick-bound Air India AI 717 plane crashed in Ahmedabad, the airliner on Friday said it has paid the compensation to families of nearly two-thirds of the victims who died in the crash, reported PTI.

In the horrific crash, 260 people onboard and on the ground were killed.

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"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.

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

AI CEO and MD, Campbell Wilson, also said the carrier will continue to "invest in upgrading aircraft, products, service, systems, capabilities and, most of all, people".

AI 717 crash:

On 12 June, London's Gatwick-bound Air India AI 717 plane , a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed in Ahmedabad. The crash was one of the worst air disasters in India in decades. Of the 242 people onboard, 241 were killed, while the total death toll stood at 260, including casualties on the ground.

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Following the crash, Tata Sons announced that it will provide ₹1 crore each to the families of each person who died in the crash, while Air India announced that it will provide an interim compensation of ₹25 lakh, or approximately GBP 21,500, to the families of each of the deceased and survivors.

Other efforts:

Wilson 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.

Meanwhile, Air India continues to observe its "Safety Pause", the deliberate temporary scale-back of its international and domestic networks. "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.

The AI CEO also said that the extra aircraft ground time is allowing the airline to accelerate its aircraft reliability enhancement programs.

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On 18 June, AI announced a 15 per cent reduction in international flights operated with widebody planes until mid-July. It cited operational disruptions due to enhanced safety inspections and the geopolitical situation as reasons for the reduction.

"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".

With agency inputs.

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