&w=3840&q=100)
Praful Patel accuses Singapore Airlines of silence after Air India crash
Former civil aviation minister Praful Patel on Tuesday lashed out at Singapore Airlines (SIA) for what he called a 'deafening silence' following the crash of Air India flight AI171, questioning why a key shareholder and maintenance partner of the airline had failed to publicly respond for nearly six days.
Patel's remarks came in the wake of the June 12 crash of the Ahmedabad-London Dreamliner flight, in which 241 passengers and crew were killed shortly after takeoff — one of the deadliest aviation disasters involving an Indian carrier.
SIA, when asked for a reaction to Patel's remarks, told Business Standard that it had been in close contact with Air India and Tata Sons, and continued to offer full support.
In a post on X, Patel wrote: 'In all the sorrow and din surrounding the Air India crash, there remains a surprising silence — or perhaps ignorance — about the role of a substantial shareholder, and the entity responsible for maintaining a large number, if not all, of Air India's wide-body aircraft.'
'Guess the name: Singapore Airlines...They seem to be in hiding,' he added.
Patel pointed out that Singapore Airlines has a say in the management of Air India and noted that Campbell Wilson, chief executive officer of Air India, is a nominee of SIA and earlier headed its low-cost arm Scoot. 'Let's not forget — they have a say in management and a codeshare agreement with Air India,' he said, concluding with the question: 'Why this deafening silence, SQ?'
SQ is the IATA (International Air Transport Association) code for Singapore Airlines.
Responding to Business Standard's query on Patel's post, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson said: 'The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of everyone affected by the devastating Air India flight AI171 accident. We have been in close contact with our partner Tata Sons and Air India, and continue to offer our full support and all necessary assistance to them during this difficult time.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Economic Times
10 minutes ago
- Economic Times
Rupee falls as corporate dollar bids, elevated oil prices weigh
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel The Indian rupee declined on Wednesday on the back of persistent corporate hedging activity and elevated oil prices as market participants continued to fret over escalating hostilities in the Middle rupee ended at 86.4775 against the U.S. dollar, down nearly 0.3% from its close of 86.24 in the previous currency slipped past 86.50, a closely watched psychological support level, to hit its weakest level in over two months before slightly paring pointed to dollar bids from local corporates, including oil companies, and speculative interest on wagering against the local currency among factors that hurt the prices remained elevated - albeit cooling off the highs hit on Tuesday - as markets weighed the chance of supply disruptions from the Iran-Israel conflict. Brent crude oil futures were last quoted at $75.5 per tepid risk sentiment also weighed on Asian equity markets with India's benchmark equity indexes, the BSE Sensex and Nifty 50 , logging a fall of about 0.2% the dollar-rupee forward premiums nudged higher. The 1-month forward premium rose to 10 paisa, with traders citing paying interest spurred by arbitrage between non-deliverable and onshore 1-year dollar-rupee implied yield also ticked up to 1.83%.Price action on the dollar-rupee pair is "cementing the upward bias," a trader at a foreign bank said, adding that further escalations in the Iran-Israel conflict could push it closer to in the day, the focus will be on the U.S. Federal Reserve's policy central bank is widely expected to keep rates unchanged with updates to its future economic projections and remarks from Chair Jerome Powell keenly awaited by market participants."The Fed will likely consider any oil price shock as much a threat to growth as to inflation," DBS Bank said in a note.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
Need to be careful about further commentary: Canadian PM Carney on Nijjar case
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he needs to be "careful" about pro-Khalistani Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar 's killing as there is a judicial process underway in the was asked if he spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their talks on Tuesday on the sidelines of the G7 Summit about the killing of a Nijjar on the country's soil."We have had a discussion, the prime minister and I, about the importance of having the law enforcement to law enforcement... cooperation directly, the importance of addressing transnational repression, as I noted including when we met," he said."And obviously there is a judicial process that's underway and I need to be careful about further commentary," Carney ties between India and Canada were strained after the then prime minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September 2023 of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's killing outside a gurdwara in Surrey city on June 18, which had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, had strongly rejected Trudeau's allegations as "absurd" and "motivated."In April 2024, Trudeau asserted that his government stood up to defend the rights and freedoms of all Canadians. He was testifying at a high-profile public inquiry looking into foreign interference in Canada's electoral had accused the Trudeau government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to Nijjar's killing. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian an economist and political newcomer, took charge as Canada's new prime minister in March this year following Trudeau's exit from the top Delhi had then said it hoped to rebuild ties with Prime Minister Modi and his Canadian counterpart Carney had a "very positive and constructive meeting" on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis on Tuesday, India and Canada have agreed to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals at an early was amongst the first in "calibrated steps" to restore stability to the "very important relationship" between the two countries, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
Time of India
16 minutes ago
- Time of India
First evacuation flight with 110 Indian students from Iran to land in Delhi around 2 am tonight
India has started evacuating its citizens from Iran as tensions in the region rise. The first evacuation flight carrying 110 Indian students from Urmia Medical University in Iran is expected to land in New Delhi around 2 am tonight, according to media reports. These students were first taken by land to Armenia before boarding a flight to India. India is also in discussions with Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, which share land borders with Iran, to assist in further evacuation efforts, sources have told ET. Azerbaijan, known for its close ties with Israel, has agreed to facilitate India's evacuation operation. Several other countries in the region have also been using Azerbaijan to evacuate their citizens from Iran. The Indian embassy in Iran has shifted students out of Tehran for safety reasons and has advised other Indian nationals, who are capable of arranging their own transportation, to also move out of the capital city. The embassy continues to stay in contact with the Indian community to provide assistance as needed. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Elegant New Scooters For Seniors In 2024: The Prices May Surprise You Mobility Scooter | Search Ads Learn More Undo Officials in the Indian mission in Tehran have been told to remain indoors and are currently working from their residences. It is also understood that Israel may help India evacuate its nationals, if required, through land or sea routes. (Join our ETNRI WhatsApp channel for all the latest updates) More than 1,500 Indian students are currently studying in Iran, a majority of them from Jammu and Kashmir. Iran's foreign ministry confirmed that while Iranian airspace remains closed, land borders are open to allow safe exit for foreign nationals. Live Events 'Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs that all land borders are open for crossing,' the ministry said in a statement. It further asked India to submit passport details, vehicle information, travel time, and the specific border points through which the individuals would exit to make the necessary arrangements. India continues to monitor the situation closely and is coordinating with multiple countries in the region to ensure the safe return of its citizens.
