100 caregivers, 40 engineering staff now in Ahmedabad, more caregivers enroute, says Air India CEO Campbell Wilson

An advanced team of 100 caregivers—who are providing support to the families of those affected by the crash of Air India AI 171 on Thursday—and 40 engineering staff—who are assisting at the site where the aircraft crashed—have reached Ahmedabad, said Campbell Wilson, MD and CEO, Air India, in his second briefing since the air crash on Friday.

Wilson also said that many more caregivers are travelling to Ahmedabad to provide further support. “We have also set up Friends and Relatives Assistance Centres at Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and London Gatwick airports for the next of kin of our passengers and crew members. These centres are facilitating their travel to Ahmedabad and providing them full support,” Wilson said. 

Wilson said that he visited the crash site on Friday morning. “I was deeply moved by the scenes,” he said, before adding that he also met the key stakeholders in the government, assuring them that Air India is “fully committed” to full cooperation with those working on the ground and to the investigations. “We know that investigations will take time, but we will be fully transparent and will support the process for as long as it takes,” said Wilson. 

Earlier on Friday, Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a message to employees that the crash of Air India’s flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad is “one of the darkest days in the Tata Group’s history”. In his message, Chandrasekaran urged the employees to be patient until the findings of the investigation are concluded and published, as speculation on the reason why the plane crashed is rife. 

Wilson reiterated the announcements made by Chandrasekaran on Thursday. He said that the Tata Group will provide an ex-gratia amount of ₹1 crore (approximately £85,000) to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the air crash, along with providing complete coverage of all medical expenses for those who were injured in the crash. “Air India will continue to do everything we can to care for those affected by the tragedy and to uphold the trust placed in us,” said Wilson. 

Additionally, the Tata Group will also support the reconstruction of BJ Medical College’s hostel, where the flight crashed. “We are also deeply concerned for the well-being of the students of the medical hostel involved in the accident,” added Wilson.