New Delhi, June 11 (IANS) Air India has denied that families of victims of the AI-171 Boeing crash in Ahmedabad, which occurred on June 12, 2025, are being pressured to sign legal waivers in exchange for compensation.

The Tata Group airline said that there is “absolutely no deadline or pressure” on anyone to accept its final settlement offer.

Gujarat’s former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani’s daughter had alleged that the airline was exerting pressure on the families of the crash victims to sign legal waivers for getting compensation. The former Chief Minister of Gujarat was among the 260 victims who were killed in the crash, which took place merely seconds after the plane’s take-off from the Ahmedabad airport.

In a statement issued in response to concerns raised by some families, Air India said relatives are free to wait for the official investigation findings before deciding whether to accept compensation.

With most of the interim payments having been disbursed, Air India has begun the process for final compensation and is engaging with families. Families or individuals have absolutely no deadline or pressure to accept our offer within a set timeframe, the statement said.

The airline also said that the wording in its Receipt, Discharge & Indemnity (RDI) document is intended only to ensure that compensation settlements remain final and to protect the airline from future claims, not to shield manufacturers or other third parties from potential legal liability.

Air India said in a statement that it has provided an interim payment of Rs 25 lakh (21,000 GBP) each to the families of the deceased to help address immediate financial needs.

Interim compensation has been paid to families of 96 per cent of the deceased. The remaining cases are primarily those where documentation is incomplete or where there are ongoing family disputes. Also, 94 per cent of those who were injured on the ground have either got one time full and final compensation or interim compensation, based on the nature of injury incurred and any loss of livelihood. The remaining individuals collected a form from the helpdesk after the crash, but have since not submitted it, the airline said.

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran had announced ex gratia financial assistance of Rs 1 crore for families of all the deceased as part of Tata Group’s philanthropic commitments – a measure that goes beyond legal compensation requirements. Ex gratia payments of Rs 1 crore have been disbursed to 91 per cent of the families of the deceased, with the remaining cases primarily constituting situations in which documentation is incomplete or where families have declined to accept payment, the statement added.

–IANS

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