ADVERTISEMENT

Plane Crash: Air India's N Chandrasekaran Vows To Turn 'Heartbreaking' Tragedy Into Catalyst For Safer Airline

Sources say Chandrasekaran also met representatives from Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace as they investigate the crash.

<div class="paragraphs"><p>The Air India crash site in Ahmedabad is currently  cordoned off while the investigation continues (PTI Photo/&nbsp;Kunal Patil)</p></div>
The Air India crash site in Ahmedabad is currently cordoned off while the investigation continues (PTI Photo/ Kunal Patil)

Air India Chairperson N Chandrasekaran told employees that the fatal crash last week that killed at least 270 people was the "most heartbreaking" crisis in his career and this accident should be used to build a safer airline.

"It's not easy to face criticism. I want you to be strong. If you feel distraught, the word you should remember is determination," he said, while addressing employees at the Tata Group airline's headquarters in Gurugram on Monday.

"I've seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one which I never thought I would see. We're going to get through this. We need to show resilience... We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline," Chandrasekaran said.

He was in the city to see the operations firsthand, boost employee morale and seek their continued support for management actions in the wake of the AI 171 crash. The London-bound Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed soon after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, and at least 33 people on ground.

Sources say Chandrasekaran also met representatives from Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace as they investigate the crash. These include Stephanie Pope, executive vice president of the Boeing Co; Salil Gupte, president of Boeing India; Russell Stokes, chief executive officer for commercial engines and services at GE Aerospace; and Vikram Rai, GE Aerospace's CEO for South Asia.

"Aviation is a very complex business, it's a complex machine, so a lot of redundancies, checks and balances, certifications, which have been perfected over years and years. Yet this happened, so we will figure out why it happened after the investigation is complete," Chandrasekaran said.

Opinion
Air India Crash: ‘Pattern Of Issues At Boeing’ Says Whistleblower Ed Pierson

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, a division of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, is looking at several aspects of the crash. Separately, a high-level committee, headed by the home secretary, has been formed to examine the crash and suggest policy measures to prevent such accidents in the future.

Officials said both the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder have been located and secured, which will be key in the investigation.

Aviation regulator, meanwhile, has ordered Air India to conduct enhanced safety inspections of all of its 33 Dreamliner fleet. Air India said it has completed such checks on nine of the aircraft. Such checks, however, are leading to higher turnaround time and delays.

This tragedy comes at a sensitive time for Boeing, which is working to restore public confidence after a series of safety and production crises.

The recent deadly crash also poses a challenge for Air India, which has been striving to turn its fortunes around. After acquiring the airline in 2022, the Tata group launched a major restructuring effort, including a record order of 470 new aircraft to modernise the fleet and expand international operations. Expectations were high when Tata took over, but persistent issues with quality and service have disappointed passengers.

A travel agent noted that flight cancellations have surged following the crash, and restoring customer trust would be an uphill task for Air India.

"We have to make sure that we stay the course. Be more determined in everything we do...Our job is to get Air India into a better place, the place it deserves," Chandrasekaran said during the meeting.

He also urged the employees to continue doing their job earnestly as their actions will determine the airline’s future. "What you do makes an airline. And the company is what its people do...Every small action that you do and is executed perfectly helps the collective thing flourish."

Opinion
US Agency Launches Parallel Probe Into Air India Plane Crash, Foreign Experts Visit Site
OUR NEWSLETTERS
By signing up you agree to the Terms & Conditions of NDTV Profit