Air India crash: ‘Very sorry, no words to console…’, Chandrasekaran on human error, Turkish Technic, more | 10 points

“I have no words to express to console any of the families of those who died. I deeply regret that this accident happened in a Tata-run airline. And I feel very sorry.” Air India and Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran apologised during an interview with Times Now.

In his first time speaking since the tragic Air India AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, that claimed over 270 lives, a remorseful Chandrasekaran added, “All we can do is to be with the families at this time, grieve with them, and we will do everything to support them at this hour and beyond.”

Here are key takeaways from N Chandrasekaran's interview

• On what will be done for affected families: While admitting that it would be difficult to console the families, Chandrasekaran said there are structures they want to put in place. “We wish to create an AI 171 trust which will be available to them to look after. But it is not just about financial needs, but other needs too. We have to think through and create the trust and other functioning infrastructure so that we can be with these families,” he added.
• On criticism over allegedly not attending funerals of the 12 crew members who died: Chandrasekaran responded saying, “That is not true. We discussed it at length on the day before and who should go for the rights for Captain Sabharwal. The chief operating officer of Air India was there, the CHR was there and few more people were there at different levels. And we as a group will do multiple things. It is not about just being visible in one location.”

“There will be a senior person who will be there in all the locations whether it is our crew member or non-crew member. That is why we have created this whole organisation. Some will be in Mumbai, some will be in Gujarat, some will be in other parts of India. But I don't want to say it for any publicity but we will definitely visit all the families. All the top people will visit all the families,” he added.

• On Boeing whistleblowers: He said that the investigative agency would look into the matter, stating: “These are things that are being dealt with by investigative agencies in the US, but overall 787s have been flying for a very long time...we already had 27 787s by the time we bought Air India. And we have not had any red flags in our checks.”

“I did connect with both Boeing and GE at the highest levels. Parallel to the DGCA checks that we have gone through, I have asked them to check and tell us if there have been issues with any of the aircraft or engines,” he added.

• On reason for the crash: Chandrasekaran said they would wait for the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) committee's investigations to conclude, adding, “It could be a month until some of the preliminary findings are out.”

• On speculation of human error, aircraft maintenance: Chandrasekaran noted that the AI-171 has a clean history. “There are speculations about human error, speculations about airlines, speculations about engines, maintenance, all kinds. There are a lot of speculations and lot of theories. But the fact that I know so far is this particular aircraft, this specifical tail, AI-171 has a clean history,” he said.

“As for the engines, the right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. Both engine histories are clean,” he added.

• On the pilots, Chandrasekaran was emphatic that they were “excellent” and “great professionals”: He said, “Both pilots were exceptional. Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, the first officer Clive (Kundar) had more than 3400 hours of flying experience. What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals. So, we can't jump to any conclusions. I am told by all the experts that the black box and recorders will definitely tell the story. So, we just have to wait for that.”

• On show-cause notices issued by the DGCA to Air India over delays and operational matters: Chandrasekaran clarified that there are not related to the AI-71 aircraft. “These are different from safety issues. If there is a safety issue, there is no way the DGCA will allow us to fly,” he stated.
• On rumours of Turkish Technic being involved: Chandrasekaran denied any of Air India's 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners fleet being are serviced by Turkish Technic. “None of them are maintained by Turkish Technic. Most of them are maintained by AI Engineering Services (AIESL) or SIA Engineering Company (a Singapore Airlines arm),” he added.

• On Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's questions about Singapore Airlines ‘silence’: The Air India Chair said that the airline has been a “great partner” and helped incorporate “best-in-class benchmarks” for Vistara.

“They have reached out even at this time, their CEO is in constant touch with me. Whether it is customer experience or any other process, they are always available. They have been offering all the help they can,” Chandrasekaran added.

• On when the 787s were bought by Air India: Chandrasekaran also dismissed claims that Air India CEO Campbell Wilson was a Singapore Airlines nominee and that the 787 fleet was purchased in 2013 — years before the Tata's acquisition. “The 787s were also bought by Air India in 2013. And I think (Praful) Patel was there at that time. I don't know when he was the minister. But these are things that happened almost 13 years ago,” Chandrasekaran said.

(With inputs from ANI)