Air India said on Sunday that more than 400 family members of the deceased passengers and crew members have reached Ahmedabad and are being assisted by their teams on the ground. It added that every affected family in Ahmedabad has been assigned at least one caregiver by Air India and the solemn process of handing over the mortal remains and their personal effects to the next of kin is ongoing.
“We have established contact with the next of kin/relatives of all passengers and crew members, expressing our condolences and helping them with the next steps. Over 400 family members have reached Ahmedabad and are being assisted by our teams on the ground,” the airline said in a statement on Sunday.
It added, “Every affected family in Ahmedabad has been assigned at least one caregiver by Air India. Air India is working closely with other Tata group companies to provide every possible assistance to the families and loved ones of those deceased, which remains our number one priority.”
The carrier stated that the solemn process of handing over the mortal remains and their personal effects to the next of kin is ongoing. Air India said that it is working closely with the authorities and will be assisting in the movement out of Gujarat, and repatriation initiatives, where appropriate.
In a tragic incident, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (flight Al171) bound for London carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday. Only 1 person survived the crash.
Air India said on Saturday that it will provide an interim payment of ₹25 lakh to the families of the deceased and survivors of the Ahmedabad plane crash. This interim payment is in addition to the ₹1 crore compensation already announced by the parent company, Tata Sons.
Air India said that they remain fully cooperative with the ongoing investigation led by the authorities and will continue to provide updates as verified information becomes available.