Air India working to disburse compensation to remaining affected families of June crash: CEO
By Nickole Fernandes, New Delhi, November 25
Air India is making all efforts to ensure that compensation given to the families affected by the plane crash in June is expedited, airline's chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD) Campbell Wilson has said, noting that it is being done "in a fair and well-managed way".
At a roundtable with select media in the national capital on Monday, Wilson informed that Air India has already provided compensation to 70 families, and it is in the process for 50 more families. Of the 180 families affected by the crash, documentation work is pending for the remaining families.
He said a significant task during the processing is identifying the "appropriate recipient."
"We want to expedite the process, but we need to do it in a fair and well-managed way. In some cases, there are different people within the families, and we need to help them come to a decision on who is the appropriate recipient," he said.
"So the compensation process, obviously, is something that we very much want to expedite. But we need to do it in a fair and well-managed process. And that requires some information from the families. It requires some validation. In some cases, within the families, there are different people. And we need to work through that process and help the families come to the landing on who is the appropriate recipient. So we need to just work through this process at the pace that the recipients are able and comfortable and willing to go. So as I say, we've already dispersed about, well, actually 70 families," he added.
Soon after the tragic crash in June in which 260 people were killed, Air India announced an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh to each of the families of the deceased and to the survivor. The Tata Group had announced an immediate financial support of Rs one crore for the aggrieved families.
On November 13, the Centre informed the Supreme Court that the investigation into the Air India Ahmedabad crash is being conducted by Indian authorities, in accordance with the mandate laid down by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
— ANI
Reader Comments
Rs 25 lakh interim payment and Rs 1 crore from Tata Group is substantial support. But money can never replace lost lives. The real compensation would be ensuring such tragedies never happen again through better safety measures.
While I appreciate the effort, 4 months is too long for families to wait for compensation. The "appropriate recipient" issue should have been anticipated and addressed much earlier. The process needs to be more efficient.
Family disputes over compensation are common in India. Air India is right to handle this carefully rather than rushing and creating more problems. Better to do it properly than quickly.
The Tata Group has shown good corporate responsibility with the Rs 1 crore support. Hope the investigation reveals what really caused the crash and leads to improved aviation safety standards across India.
Having worked in insurance, I understand the complexity of identifying rightful beneficiaries. It's a painful but necessary process. Hope the remaining families get their compensation before year-end.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.