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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Sorry and thank you: Air India CEO writes to flyers a week after crash
Stepping up its communication process since last week's AI171 Dreamliner crash, Air India on Thursday reached out to its frequent fliers about flight cancellations and operational disruptions in the aftermath of the tragedy. Signed by Air India chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson, the email communication comes a day after Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran admitted in a media interview that the airline's communication with passengers, after the crash, had not been strong. Chandrasekaran, who's also the Air India chairman, had told Times Now on Wednesday evening that the airline had now set up a 'strategic communications team' in addition to its regular one. As part of this change, Air India issued a detailed public statement, explaining the events of June 12—the day of the crash--and the reasons for the subsequent wave of cancellations. In his email to frequent flyers on Thursday evening, Wilson gave a glowing tribute to the flight crew of AI171, stating that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had over 10,000 hours flying widebody aircraft and First Officer Clive Kunder had over 3,400 hours of experience. Against the backdrop of multiple cancellations and lower demand, he assured flyers that the aircraft had undergone all required maintenance checks. Thanking flyers for their patience, the Air India CEO wrote: 'This is a challenging time for all of trust means everything to us,' He elaborated that as a result of the enhanced safety checks and other external disruptions, the airline would reduce its international widebody flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, 2025, through to at least mid-July. This move, he said, would 'allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues'. Passengers affected by the revised schedule would be contacted directly and offered a choice of rebooking at no additional cost or a full refund. 'We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience,' he wrote. Wilson spoke of 'deep sorrow' over the loss of 241 passengers and crew members, and 34 people on the ground, calling the AI171 crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad a 'devastating event'. He said Air India was working closely with authorities and was fully committed to supporting the affected families. 'Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event,' he wrote. "The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," he noted. He confirmed that 26 of the airline's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft had undergone DGCA-mandated enhanced safety inspections and had been cleared for service. The remaining aircraft would be inspected before being returned to operations. 'As a confidence-building measure,' he added, 'we have elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft.' He acknowledged that the additional checks, along with other external and operational factors, had resulted in a 'higher-than-usual number of cancellations' in recent days. Chandrasekaran had pointed out on Wednesday that Air India had taken several internal steps in recent days to strengthen its communication and operational response. Wilson's email to frequent flyers would perhaps be counted as one of those steps.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Air India CEO apologises to flyers, outlines crash response and cuts
A day after Air India and Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran admitted that the airline's communication with passengers had fallen short since the June 12 crash, Air India chief executive officer and managing director Campbell Wilson on Thursday sent an email to all frequent flyers, explaining the aftermath of the tragedy and sharing detailed information about flight cancellations and operational disruptions. In an interview with Times Now on Wednesday evening, Chandrasekaran said 'Absolutely,' when asked whether the airline's communication with passengers had not been up to the mark. The Tata Sons chairman added that Air India had, in the last three days, set up a 'strategic communications team' in addition to its regular one and had issued a detailed public statement explaining the events of June 12 and the reasons for the subsequent wave of cancellations. Following Chandrasekaran's remarks, Air India issued a comprehensive late-night statement outlining the situation. It stated that 15 per cent of its international widebody flights would be cancelled from June 20 through mid-July. The airline attributed the decision to multiple factors, including ongoing safety inspections of 33 Boeing 787 aircraft mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), airspace restrictions over parts of the Middle East, night curfews at certain international airports and operational caution exercised by its engineering and flying teams. In his email to frequent flyers on Thursday evening, Wilson acknowledged the 'deep sorrow' over the loss of 241 passengers and crew members, and 34 people on the ground, calling the AI171 crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad a 'devastating event'. He said Air India was working closely with authorities and remained fully committed to supporting the affected families. 'Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event,' he wrote. Wilson outlined the qualifications of AI171's flight crew, stating that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had over 10,000 hours of experience flying widebody aircraft and First Officer Clive Kunder had more than 3,400 hours. He assured flyers that the aircraft had undergone all required maintenance checks. 'The plane was well maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight,' he noted. He confirmed that 26 of the airline's 33 Boeing 787 aircraft had undergone DGCA-mandated enhanced safety inspections and had been cleared for service. The remaining aircraft would be inspected before returning to operations. 'As a confidence-building measure,' he added, 'we have elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft.' Wilson candidly acknowledged that these additional checks, along with other external and operational factors, had resulted in a 'higher-than-usual number of cancellations' in recent days. He reiterated that, due to the enhanced safety checks and other external disruptions, the airline would 'reduce our international widebody flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, 2025, through to at least mid-July.' This move, he said, would 'allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues.' Wilson added that passengers affected by the reduced schedule would be contacted directly and offered the choice of rebooking at no additional cost or receiving a full refund. 'We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we're deeply sorry for any inconvenience,' he wrote. 'This is a challenging time for all of us... Your trust means everything to us,' Wilson wrote, thanking flyers for their patience. In the Times Now interview, Chandrasekaran said: 'Today, we have put out the first comprehensive media statement explaining what happened on June 12, explaining why there have been so many subsequent cancellations, and then given passengers the exact number—that these are the total number of flights that have been cancelled.' He also emphasised that the airline had taken several internal steps in recent days to strengthen its communication and operational response as it navigates the aftermath of the fatal crash.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Air India cuts 15% international wide-body flights after Ahmedabad crash
Air India on Tuesday said it will reduce its international services operated by wide-body aircraft by 15 per cent until at least mid-July, as the airline grapples with a combination of enhanced safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's fatal crash of a Boeing 787 aircraft. The move is aimed at stabilising operations and improving efficiency, Air India said in a late-night statement. 'Given the compounding circumstances that Air India is facing… the cuts will be implemented between now and 20 June and will continue thereafter until at least mid-July,' the airline said. 'This effectively adds to our reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions,' it noted. A revised international flight schedule will take effect from 20 June. Of the 33 Boeing 787 aircraft in Air India's fleet, 26 have completed DGCA-mandated inspections and been cleared to return to service. The remaining aircraft are expected to be cleared in the coming days. As an added precaution, the airline said it will also begin enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet. Over the past six days, Air India has cancelled a total of 83 international flights. In addition to the safety inspections, the airline cited night curfews over parts of Europe and East Asia, as well as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, as contributing to the disruptions. Describing the flight cuts as 'a painful measure', the airline said the decision was necessary in the wake of a 'devastating event' and to avoid last-minute inconvenience to passengers. Affected travellers will be offered free rescheduling or full refunds. 'With the continued support of our passengers, the regulatory authorities, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and India at large, we will come out stronger through this tragic incident,' Air India said. 'Air India remains in mourning on the tragic loss… our hearts are with the families, loved ones, and communities affected,' the airline added, noting that it is working with the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Gujarat government to assist the victims' families, including arrangements for travel and repatriation of mortal remains.
