Air India will be fully transparent in the investigation into the crash of its Boeing 787-8 aircraft and will support the probe process as long it lasts, the Tata group airline’s chief executive officer Campbell Wilson said Friday.
In a recorded statement from , the Air India CEO said that he has assured the government that the carrier is “committed to full cooperation with those working on the ground and through the investigations”.
“We know that the investigations will take time, but we will be fully transparent and will support the process for as long as it takes. Air India will continue to do everything we can to care for those affected by this tragedy and to uphold the trust placed in us,” Wilson said.
Wilson was in Ahmedabad following Thursday’s deadly crash involving a 787 aircraft operating the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight AI-171. The accident, the worst aviation disaster involving an Indian airline in four decades, resulted in the death of all but one of the 242 people on board. The accident also led to casualties on the ground as the aircraft crashed into a medical College hostel in the vicinity of the Ahmedabad airport shortly after take-off. Prime Minister also visited the accident site on Friday.
“This morning, I visited the crash site and was deeply moved by the scenes. I also met key stakeholders in the government and assured them that Air India is committed to full cooperation with those working on the ground and through the investigations,” Wilson said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is investigating the crash, while the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) would also be involved in the detailed probe, given that the aircraft is manufactured by an American company—Boeing—and was manufactured in the US. A UK AAIB team is also going to help with the investigation, and so are Boeing and other major component manufacturers like GE (engine manufacturer). According to aircraft accident investigation protocol, the probe report should be finalised within a year.
According to flight tracking data, the signal from the aircraft was lost at an altitude of just 625 feet, moments after take-off. It then descended with a vertical speed of 475 feet per minute and crashed. According to aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots gave a Mayday call—signaling severe distress—to the Ahmedabad airport air traffic control (ATC) upon take-off, after which it crashed outside the airport perimeter.
“All of us at Air India are devastated by this loss and grieve for those affected, their families and their loved ones,” Wilson said, adding that a team of nearly 100 caregivers and 40 engineering staff from Air India had reached Ahmedabad to provide support to affected families and help out at the crash site.
“Many more caregivers are traveling to Ahmedabad to provide further support. We have set up friends and relatives assistance centers at Ahmedabad, , and London Gatwick airports for the next of kin of our passengers and crew members. These centers are facilitating their travel to Ahmedabad and providing them full support,” Wilson added.
The group had on Thursday evening announced Rs 1 crore for families of those who perished in the accident. The conglomerate also said that it will bear all medical expenses of those injured in the accident.
