Air India on Thursday said it has completed giving interim compensation to most of the families affected by the AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 last year. According to airline sources, “Air India has made an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of those who died to help meet their immediate financial needs.” Sources further said, “Interim compensation has been given to the families of 96 per cent of the deceased. The remaining cases are mainly those where documentation is incomplete or where there are ongoing disputes in the family.”
plane crash Regarding those injured in the air, the airline said, “94% of those injured on the ground have received either full and final compensation in one go or interim compensation depending on the nature of the injury and any loss of livelihood.”
It also said that the rest had taken forms from the helpdesk, but had not yet submitted them. Air India also clarified that the final process of compensation is going on.
Ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to 91% families
Sources said, “After giving most of the interim payments, Air India has started the process of final compensation and is talking to the families.” He further said, “There is no deadline or pressure on families or individuals to accept our offer within a specific time period.”
The airline also stressed the role of the Tata Group in providing further support through the AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust. “Tata Sons formed the AI171 Memorial and Welfare Trust to help those affected by the AI171 crash,” sources said. It further said, “N Chandrasekaran, Chairman, Tata Sons, as part of the Tata Group’s philanthropic activities, had announced ex-gratia financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the families of all the deceased – a move that goes well beyond the legal compensation requirements.”
According to Air India, “91% of the families of the deceased have been given ex-gratia payment of Rs 1 crore,” and most of the cases are pending due to incomplete documentation or refusal to accept payment. On returning the victims’ luggage, the airline said the process was handled with great care and documentation.
Know how many relatives of the deceased got their personal belongings back
Sources said, “We have tried to conduct the process of returning personal effects with the utmost respect, dignity and accuracy, and have worked closely with a qualified external partner to catalog and document the items that can be recovered and returned.”
It further said, “More than 22,000 personal effects were carefully preserved and catalogued.” Families were informed digitally, the airline said, “Families received information about each of these things by email, and a special website was created.”
The airline said luggage belonging to 187 deceased people was being processed, with “personal effects returned to the families of 139 deceased in India and the UK,” while the remaining cases involved lack of documentation or refusal by families. It also said that the uncollected belongings of 77 deceased people were handled separately, with “personal belongings having been returned to the families of 60 deceased in India and the UK.”
260 people lost their lives in plane crash
Sources further said, “The families of 15 deceased people have refused to accept personal belongings.” On digital devices recovered from the spot, Air India said, “25 digital devices were recovered, of which 16 have been returned to their respective families,” adding that the remaining cases are pending due to documentation issues or refusal. Air India also informed about its emergency help after the crash.
“A team of more than 500 volunteers from 17 Tata Group companies, including 130 volunteers from Air India, was present at the crash site to provide immediate, on-the-ground assistance,” sources said. It added, “Each family was assigned at least one dedicated, trained caregiver from our Special Assistance Team who could provide 24/7 support.”
A single-window helpdesk was also set up in Ahmedabad, the airline said, which helped families with documentation and claims for more than two months. Air India sources said leadership teams reached Ahmedabad within hours of the incident and “CEOs of Tata companies met 152 of the 165 affected families in India and the UK to express their condolences and offer help.” 260 people lost their lives in the plane crash that took place on June 12 last year.
Input: ANI
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