'We feel very sorry': Tata chief on Air India crash, calls for factual probe
Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran on Wednesday expressed deep regret over the crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad on June 12, which claimed the lives of more than 270 people. In an interview with a news channel, he said he had “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. 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,” Mr. Chandrasekaran said.
The crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London. It went down into a medical college complex less than a minute after takeoff. The aircraft carried 242 passengers and crew. The death toll includes people on the ground, taking the total to over 270.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has begun an inquiry, and the government has set up a high-level committee. Mr. Chandrasekaran said preliminary findings may take up to a month. He cautioned against jumping to conclusions, noting that speculation about human error, engines, or maintenance is premature.
“There are a lot of speculations and a lot of theories. But the fact that I know so far is that this particular aircraft, this specific tail, AI-171, has a clean history. As for the engines, the right engine was a new engine put in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and is due for its next maintenance check in December 2025. Both engine histories are clean,” he said.
Mr. Chandrasekaran also spoke about the pilots. “Captain Sabharwal had more than 11,500 hours of flying experience, the first officer Clive (Kundar) had more than 3,400 hours of flying experience. What I hear from colleagues is that they were excellent pilots and great professionals.” He added that the flight data recorders would eventually reveal what happened.
When asked about show-cause notices issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to Air India for delays and operational issues, Mr. Chandrasekaran said these were not related to flight AI171 or to safety. “If there is a safety issue, there is no way the DGCA will allow us to fly,” he said.
He also clarified that none of Air India’s 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners are serviced by Turkish Technic. Most are maintained by AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) or SIA Engineering Company, whose parent is Singapore Airlines.
The clarification came after former Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel questioned the role of Singapore Airlines, which holds a stake in Air India and is responsible for maintaining a significant number of its wide-body aircraft. Mr. Chandrasekaran defended the partnership, saying, “Singapore Airlines has been a great partner. Since we took over, they have helped us in many dimensions. Even some of the safety procedures, the best processes, we have taken from Singapore Airlines.”
Mr. Chandrasekaran said the airline’s focus now is on supporting the families of the victims. “We will do everything to support them at this hour and beyond,” he reiterated.
