Soul of every journey: Air India pays tribute to members lost in Ahmedabad crash
In an earnest homage, Air India remembered its ten crew members who died in the Air India flight AI 171 crash on June 12. Air India posted a message on its official handle on social media platform X: '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.'advertisementThe condolence statement was issued by Air India and the Tata Group eight days after the tragedy that claimed 274 lives. On June 12, an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London, carrying 242 people, crashed into a medical college hostel just moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport at approximately 1:35 pm.Saying 'they were family', the messaged remembered the cabin crew members: 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.
'You flew with compassion. You will be remembered with love,' the message read after naming each of the 10 deceased staff members.Tata Group and Air India mourned the loss of its cabin crew members and honoured the crew's personal and professional contributions. The statement on its social media handle X comes a day after N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, said he deeply regretted the accident. 'It is an extremely difficult situation where I have no words to express to console any of the families of those who died. I deeply regret that this accident happened in a Tata-run airline. And I feel very sorry,' he said.advertisementChandrasekaran also announced plans to create an 'AI-171 Trust' to provide long-term support, including financial and other needs, to the affected families.A day after the crash, Chandrasekharan in a letter to Tata Group employees called June 12 'one of the darkest days in the group's history.''What occurred yesterday was inexplicable... to lose so many at once is incomprehensible,' he wrote.In the aftermath of one of the deadliest air disasters India has seen, Air India will cut wide-body international flights by 15 per cent until mid-July due to stricter DGCA checks and Iranian airspace closures. Meanwhile, the aviation ministry has set a 60-day deadline for owners to report illegal structures near airports before demolition.
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