Flew with compassion, you will be remembered: Air India pays tribute to cabin crew lost in crash

New Delhi: Air India, in a heartfelt tribute, remembered the ten cabin crew members who lost their lives in the tragic crash of flight AI-171.

The message, posted by the airline on Friday, honours the grace, warmth, and dedication of its late crew, calling them not just colleagues but family and “the soul of every journey”.

“With hearts full of sorrow, we remember the cabin crew members we lost – beloved colleagues, cherished friends, and the soul of every journey they were a part of. Their grace, warmth, and unwavering care touched thousands of lives in the skies and on the ground… You flew with compassion. You will be remembered with love,” Air India posted on X.

The tribute named each of the crew members lost in the incident: Aparna Amol Mahadik, Shradha Mahadev Dhavan, Deepak Balasaheb Pathak, Irfan Samir Shaikh, Lamnunthem Singson, Maithili Patil, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, Saineeta Abin Chakravarti, Manisha Thapa, and Roshni Rajendra Songhare.

On June 17, the airline paid a heartfelt tribute to the pilot of the ill-fated plane, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal when his mortal remains were consigned to flames. “With profound grief and heavy hearts, we bid farewell to Captain Sabharwal – an exceptional aviator, a dedicated professional, and a beloved member of the Air India family. Captain Sabharwal’s unwavering commitment to the skies and his quiet strength on the ground earned him deep respect across the aviation fraternity…His memory will continue to inspire us, and his legacy will forever be etched in the heart of Air India. RIP Captain. You will be missed.”

Air India also shared a tribute to pilot Clive Kunder, whose funeral and final rites were held in Mumbai on Thursday. It said Kunder was “a young aviator full of promise, a valued colleague, and a deeply cherished member of the Air India family. Clive’s quiet dedication, grace, and passion for flying earned him the admiration of everyone who had the privilege of working alongside him.”

Senior leaders from the Tata Group and Air India have been actively supporting the families of the deceased, offering condolences, financial aid, and a continued presence in their time of grief.

The tragedy unfolded days earlier when Air India flight AI-171, en route from Ahmedabad to London, crashed shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad.

As of Thursday, Gujarat’s Minister of Health & Family Welfare, Rushikesh Patel, confirmed that 210 DNA samples had been successfully matched.

The identification process is being handled jointly by teams from the State Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and the National Forensic Sciences University.

In response to the incident, the Tata Group, which re-acquired Air India in 2022, has announced an ex gratia payment of Rs 1 crore to the families of each of the deceased. An interim relief payment of Rs 25 lakh per family, and also to the lone survivor, has already been disbursed to meet immediate needs.

Furthermore, the Tata Group has committed to covering all medical expenses for the injured and pledged support for reconstructing a damaged hostel at BJ Medical College. Group Chairman N. Chandrasekaran described the tragedy as “one of the darkest days in the Tata Group’s history.”

–IANS