Air India has clarified that families of victims of the AI-171 crash are under no obligation to accept immediate compensation and are free to wait until the final investigation report is released. The airline’s response comes after a letter from Radhika Rupani, daughter of former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was among those killed in the tragedy, raised concerns over compensation terms and alleged lack of transparency.

In a letter accessed by NDTV, Air India rejected claims that families were being pressured to sign settlement documents within a fixed timeframe. The airline stated that its compensation process does not impose any deadline for acceptance and that families retain the option to wait until the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) completes its probe. It added that interim financial assistance was introduced solely to help families meet immediate needs following the crash.

Radhika Rupani, in her communication to Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran, had questioned the requirement for families to sign a “receipt, discharge and indemnity” document before the final investigation report is made public. She argued that families deserve transparency and closure before being asked to waive future claims, expressing concerns that critical facts surrounding the crash remain undisclosed.

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Air India, however, maintained that the wording of its settlement documents is standard practice in aviation compensation processes. The airline said the clauses are intended to ensure finality in settlements and to protect against future claims from multiple parties, including manufacturers and suppliers. It emphasised that interim compensation was being disbursed to provide immediate relief, while the final assessment process continues in parallel.

According to official figures cited by the airline, interim compensation of Rs 25 lakh has been paid to each of the families of nearly 96 percent of the 260 victims who lost their lives in the June 12, 2025 crash shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed under circumstances that are still under investigation by the AAIB.

Air India also stated that significant efforts have been made to return personal belongings recovered from the crash site. More than 22,000 items were catalogued, with belongings of 187 deceased passengers identified and returned in most cases. The airline added that digital devices recovered from the wreckage were screened by investigators before being returned to families, while a small number remain pending due to incomplete documentation or unresolved claims.

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