'One Of The Darkest Days': Tata Group's Chandrasekaran Promises Transparency After Air India Crash
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'Words are no consolation right now, but my thoughts are with families and loved ones of the people who died and were injured in the crash. We are here for them': Tata chairman.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran has termed the crash of the Air India Flight AI 171 near Ahmedabad as 'one of the darkest days in the Tata Group's history" in an emotional letter addressed to employees on Friday. Expressing profound grief, Chandrasekaran said the Group is in shock and mourning over the loss of lives, calling the tragedy incomprehensible.
He also promised complete transparency once the findings are available.
'Words are no consolation right now, but my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the people who died and were injured in the crash. We are here for them," the letter read.
Air India is owned by the Tata Group, which acquired the airline and officially took over it on January 27, 2022, nearly 69 years after the airline was nationalised. The acquisition marked a historic homecoming, as Air India was originally founded by J R D Tata in 1932.
In his internal message, Chandrasekaran said efforts are underway to understand what went wrong. He added that investigative teams from India, the UK, and the US have arrived in Ahmedabad to probe the crash and that the Tata Group is extending full cooperation.
'Once we have verified facts, we will be transparent in our communication about how this tragedy took place," he added.
Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route from Ahmedabad to London, crashed on June 12 shortly after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, killing 241 of the 242 persons on board, including 12 crew members.
'We owe it to the families and loved ones, to our pilots and crew, and to you. The Tata Group takes its responsibility to society seriously, and that includes being open about what occurred yesterday," Chandrasekaran said.
Referring to the speculation around the cause of the crash, he urged patience and said that only trained investigators can determine why a routine flight turned into such a calamity. 'Once we have verified facts, we will be transparent in our communication about how this tragedy took place," he added.
Chandrasekaran also discussed the Group's acquisition of Air India, saying that ensuring the safety of passengers was the company's first and foremost priority. 'There was no compromising on it," he wrote.
'None of this matters to the people who suffered devastating losses yesterday. At this time, we can only assure them of our full support. We will pull together as a Group and find ways to help them," he wrote
'We built this Group on trust and care. It is a difficult moment, but we will not retreat from our responsibilities, from doing what is right. We will carry this loss. We will not forget," he wrote.
N Chandrasekaran's Full Letter To Employees
'Dear Colleagues,
This is a very difficult moment. What occurred yesterday was inexplicable, and we are in shock and mourning. To lose a single person we know is a tragedy, but for so many deaths to occur at once is incomprehensible. This is one of the darkest days in the Tata Group's history. Words are no consolation right now, but my thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the people who died and were injured in the crash. We are here for them.
I want to say that, like you, we want to understand what happened. We don't know right now, but we will. You know that in the past 24 hours, investigative teams from India, UK, and the US have arrived in Ahmedabad to investigate the crash. They have our full cooperation, and we will be completely transparent about the findings. We owe it to the families and loved ones, to our pilots and crew, and to you. The Tata Group takes its responsibility to society seriously, and that includes being open about what occurred yesterday.
Right now, our very human instinct is to look for explanations that make sense of the calamity. There is plenty of speculation all around us. Some of it may be right, some of it may be wrong. I want to urge patience. We witnessed an enormous loss of life yesterday. Why this routine flight turned into a calamity is something trained investigators will help us understand when their work is complete. Once we have verified facts, we will be transparent in our communication about how this tragedy took place.
As a Group trusted by so many, when we took over Air India, ensuring the safety of its passengers was our first and foremost priority. There was no compromising on it.
None of this matters to the people who suffered devastating losses yesterday. At this time, we can only assure them of our full support. We will pull together as a Group and find ways to help them.
We built this Group on trust and care. It is a difficult moment, but we will not retreat from our responsibilities, from doing what is right. We will carry this loss. We will not forget.
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Sincerely,
Chandra."
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June 13, 2025, 18:21 IST
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