Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson on Wednesday described the June plane crash as “absolutely devastating” for the people, families, and staff involved. Speaking at the Aviation India and South Asia 2025 conference in New Delhi, Wilson said the airline has been doing everything possible to support those affected and help them move forward.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off on June 12, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers, in one of India’s worst air disasters.
Wilson said the airline has completed interim compensation for victims and others impacted by the crash and is now working on final settlements.
According to him, the interim investigation found no fault in the aircraft, engines, or airline operations. “We obviously, as with everyone else, we await the final report, and if there's anything to learn from it, we will,” Wilson said in his first public appearance in India since the crash.
He added that any such incident in the industry calls for introspection and review. “It is a cause for reviewing practices. As I said, the interim report indicated that there was nothing with aircraft, engines or practices that required changing... (we will) keep improving, keep getting better,” he said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report released on July 12 said the fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, leading to confusion in the cockpit. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
On October 7, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu stated that there was “no manipulation or dirty business” in the ongoing investigation into the Air India crash, amid concerns about the probe process.
Wilson reiterated that the airline continues to extend full cooperation to authorities and remains committed to learning from the final report when it is released.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off on June 12, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers, in one of India’s worst air disasters.
Wilson said the airline has completed interim compensation for victims and others impacted by the crash and is now working on final settlements.
According to him, the interim investigation found no fault in the aircraft, engines, or airline operations. “We obviously, as with everyone else, we await the final report, and if there's anything to learn from it, we will,” Wilson said in his first public appearance in India since the crash.
He added that any such incident in the industry calls for introspection and review. “It is a cause for reviewing practices. As I said, the interim report indicated that there was nothing with aircraft, engines or practices that required changing... (we will) keep improving, keep getting better,” he said.
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) in its preliminary report released on July 12 said the fuel supply to both engines was cut off within one second of each other, leading to confusion in the cockpit. “In the cockpit voice recording, one of the pilots is heard asking the other why did he cut off. The other pilot responded that he did not do so,” the report said.
On October 7, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu stated that there was “no manipulation or dirty business” in the ongoing investigation into the Air India crash, amid concerns about the probe process.
Wilson reiterated that the airline continues to extend full cooperation to authorities and remains committed to learning from the final report when it is released.
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