Air India has formally denied allegations that families of victims from the June 12, 2025 Ahmedabad plane crash are being pressured to sign legal waivers in exchange for compensation. According to Zee News, the airline issued a statement in response to concerns raised by some families, stating that there is absolutely no deadline or pressure on anyone to accept its final settlement offer. The denial comes after Gujarat's former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani's daughter had alleged that the airline was exerting pressure on crash victims' families to sign legal waivers for compensation. The airline emphasized that families are entirely free to wait for the official investigation findings before deciding whether to accept compensation, with no timetable imposed for acceptance.
According to Zee News and NDTV sources, Air India has disbursed ₹25 lakh interim compensation to each family who lost a loved one in the crash, with payments made to families of 96% of victims. The remaining cases are mainly those where documentation is incomplete or family disputes are still ongoing. 94% of injured ground personnel have either received one-time full and final compensation or interim compensation based on their injuries and loss of livelihood. The airline noted that the remaining individuals collected forms from the helpdesk after the crash but have since not submitted them. Zee News reports that with most interim payments disbursed, Air India has begun the final compensation process and is actively engaging with families. Under the Montreal Convention (applicable since it was an international flight), Air India is strictly liable for ₹1.5 crore ($160,000+) per passenger, with potential for unlimited additional damages if negligence is proven.
Air India has undertaken an extensive process to recover, catalogue and return personal belongings recovered from the crash site. The airline preserved and documented more than 22,000 personal items with the assistance of an external specialist partner. Families were informed about recoverable belongings through email and provided access to a dedicated website. Of the personal belongings associated with 187 deceased individuals, items linked to 139 victims have already been returned to families in India and the UK. The remaining cases involve documentation issues or situations where families chose not to accept the belongings. For 77 deceased individuals whose belongings could not be conclusively linked to a specific person, Air India created an interactive platform enabling families to identify items. Belongings related to 60 of these victims have been returned, while families of 15 deceased individuals declined to take possession of recovered items. The airline confirmed that 25 digital devices were recovered from the crash site, with 16 devices returned to their respective families following mandatory screening by Indian authorities.
Tata Sons established the AI171 Memorial and Welfare Trust to support those impacted by the crash, with Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran announcing an ex-gratia payment of ₹1 crore for the families of all deceased victims as part of the group's philanthropic commitment, beyond any legal compensation obligations. According to Zee News, ex-gratia payments of ₹1 crore have been disbursed to 91% of affected families, with the pending cases primarily due to incomplete documentation or instances where families have declined to accept the payment. The airline stressed that there is no deadline or pressure on families to accept settlement offers, noting that there is absolutely no reason for families to feel pressured to choose between immediate financial support and the pursuit of truth. Air India also detailed its emergency response efforts after the crash, stating that a team of over 500 volunteers from 17 Tata Group companies, including 130 from Air India, were at the crash site to provide instant, on-the-ground support. The airline further added that each family was assigned at least one dedicated, trained caregiver from their Special Assistance team to provide 24/7 support, with a single-window helpdesk set up in Ahmedabad assisting families with documentation and claims for over two months.
