Air India Crash: 'Most Heartbreaking...' — Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran's Emotional Address To Staff

The recent crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that killed at least 271 people has deeply shaken the airline and the country.

Tata Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran addressed employees on Monday, calling it the most heartbreaking moment of his career and urging the team to use the tragedy as a turning point to build a safer airline, according to a Reuters report.

What did Chandrasekaran Said?

“I’ve seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one,” Chandrasekaran told 700 staff during a town hall meeting at Air India’s headquarters near New Delhi. He added, “We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline.”

The crash occurred last Thursday when the Dreamliner, carrying 242 people and bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.

The plane lost height seconds after becoming airborne and exploded upon impact with buildings below, killing almost everyone on board and around 30 people on the ground. Only one person on board survived.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Authorities are examining possible issues with the plane’s engine thrust, flap configuration, and why the landing gear remained deployed.

“We need to wait for the investigation. It’s a complex machine, with a lot of redundancies, checks and balances, and certifications, which have been perfected over years and years. Yet this happens,” Chandrasekaran explained.

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The tragedy adds to the challenges facing Air India as it works to modernise its fleet and improve safety. Since taking over from the Indian government in 2022, the Tata Group has been trying to turn the airline into a world-class carrier.

Chandrasekaran acknowledged that the situation is emotionally and professionally difficult, saying, “It’s not easy to face criticisms. We are going to get through this. We need to show resilience.”

Air India Plane Crash

Meanwhile, in Ahmedabad, grieving families continue to wait to receive the bodies of their loved ones. Doctors are using dental records and other samples to identify victims.

According to Rakesh Joshi, medical superintendent at the local civil hospital, only 99 samples have been matched so far, and 64 bodies have been returned to families.

On a more technical front, investigators have recovered the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder. These will be critical in understanding what went wrong.

The crash also raises concerns for Boeing, which has already been facing safety and manufacturing issues in recent years. The aircraft involved was part of Air India’s ongoing efforts to upgrade its ageing fleet.

In a separate incident on Monday, another Air India Dreamliner had to return to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical fault, further highlighting the scrutiny now facing the airline and its aircraft.