Days after Ahmedabad plane crash, Tata Group chairman Chandrasekaran makes big statement, says ‘crashed Air India plane had…’

Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Wednesday “apologised” for the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week that claimed more than 270 lives. He said he was heartbroken and didn’t have the words to comfort the families who lost their loved ones. “This is a very painful time,” he said. “As the chairman of Tata, I feel deeply sorry that this tragedy happened on one of our flights. All we can do now is stand by the families, share in their grief, and support them in every possible way—not just now, but in the days to come.”

The tragic crash happened on June 12, shortly after takeoff. The Air India flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner headed to London, went down in a medical college complex near the airport in Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board, including passengers and crew.

In an exclusive interview with the Group Editor-in-Chief of Times Now and Times Now Navbharat, Navika Kumar, Chandrasekaran said it was too early to know the exact reason for the crash. He explained that investigations are still going on and that it might take around a month before any initial findings are shared. The government has also set up a special committee to look into the incident.

Chandrasekaran said flight, AI171 had no history of technical issues

Chandrasekaran added that the flight, AI171, had no history of technical issues and there had been no warning signs before the crash.

“There are all kinds of speculations right now—some say it could be human error, others talk about engine issues, airline problems, or maintenance lapses,” Chandrasekaran said. “But from the information I have at this moment, the aircraft involved in the crash had a clean record.”

He explained that the right engine of the plane was brand new and had been installed just three months ago, in March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and was not due for its next maintenance until December 2025. “Both engines had clear histories with no red flags,” he said.

He also spoke highly of the flight crew. “Captain Sabharwal was an experienced pilot with over 11,500 flying hours. First Officer Clive Kundar had over 3,400 hours. Everyone I’ve spoken to says they were both excellent at their jobs—skilled and professional.”

Chandrasekaran stressed that it’s too early to point fingers. “The investigation is underway. The black box and cockpit voice recorder will give us the real picture. Until then, we must avoid jumping to conclusions.”

Addressing concerns about previous penalties and notices issued by aviation authorities to Air India, Chandrasekaran clarified, “Those were related to things like flight delays or other operations—not safety. If there was ever a safety concern, the DGCA would not let us fly.”

There were also questions about whether any part of Air India’s fleet is maintained by a Turkish company, following online speculation. Chandrasekaran denied any such link. “None of our 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliners are serviced by Turkish Technic. They’re maintained either by AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) or Singapore-based SIA Engineering Company,” he said.

Former Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had questioned why Singapore Airlines, a shareholder in Air India and a company responsible for maintaining several wide-body aircraft, has remained silent. Replying to this, Chandrasekaran said, “Singapore Airlines has been a great partner. Since we took over, they’ve helped us in many ways—including improving safety procedures. We’ve adopted several best practices from both Singapore Airlines and Vistara. Their CEO has been in regular contact with me, and they have offered full support during this difficult time.”

Chandrasekaran on Boeing’s manufacturing processes

On allegations raised by whistleblowers in the U.S. about Boeing’s manufacturing processes specifically related to the 787 Dreamliner, which was the model involved in the crash Chandrasekaran said the matter is being investigated in the U.S. but added, “The 787s have been in service for many years, and we already had 27 of them in our fleet when we bought Air India. We’ve not found any issues with them in our regular checks.”

Since the crash on June 12, there has been a noticeable rise in flight delays and cancellations by Air India, which has caused concern among travellers. Chandrasekaran acknowledged this and said that more needs to be done to keep passengers informed. “We operate over 1,100 flights a day, and over the last six days, anywhere between 5 to 18 flights have been cancelled daily. We agree that communication with passengers has to improve. That’s why we have set up a dedicated communications team over the past three days.”

He also confirmed that he has personally spoken with senior leadership at Boeing and GE, the companies behind the aircraft and its engines. “Alongside the DGCA checks, I’ve asked Boeing and GE to carry out their own reviews and inform us if they find any issues with the aircraft or engines,” he said.

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