Air India Crash: 'If Ratan Tata Were Here Today...' US Lawyer Says On Delay In Compensation Payments

The compensation for families affected by the Air India plane crash would not have been delayed if Ratan Tata were still alive, the US attorney representing the victims has said.

Mike Andrews, the lead US attorney representing over 65 families impacted by the AI171 crash, criticised the ongoing delays in payments, calling the situation a “bureaucratic process” that he believes would not have occurred under the former Tata Group Chairperson's leadership.

“Even in the US, we know who Ratan Tata was,” Mr Andrews told news agency ANI. “We know a little bit in the US about his work ethic and his focus on being humble and taking care of his employees and so we know that if he were here today, we don't believe employees and victims and people who were on the aeroplane and on the ground would be subjected to a bureaucratic process in which they're delayed payment,” he said on Sunday.

On July 26, Air India disbursed interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to families of 147 of the 229 passengers killed, as well as 19 victims on the ground. These payments will be adjusted against final compensation to be decided later.

The Tata Group has also established ‘The AI-171 Memorial and Welfare Trust' in honour of the victims, pledging an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore for each deceased individual. The Trust supports rebuilding the BJ Medical College Hostel damaged in the accident and aids first responders, medical personnel, and support workers affected by the tragedy.

Mr Andrews spoke of the plight of an elderly bedridden mother whose only son, the family's sole financial provider, died in the crash.

“We met with one family, the elderly mother is bedridden, and she was depending upon her son to provide income to pay for her health care. He is now deceased. They have not received payment. What are they supposed to do? They are now left at the mercy of the world in determining how she is supposed to go on when the person who was helping provide for her was killed through no fault of his own,” he said.

On June 12, Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 274 people, both on air and on ground.

The preliminary report by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) revealed that both engines shut down unexpectedly within 90 seconds of takeoff, causing a loss of thrust and the fatal crash.