Sorry and thank you: Air India CEO writes to flyers a week after crash

Stepping up its communication process since last week’s AI171 Dreamliner crash, Air India on Thursday reached out to its frequent fliers about flight cancellations and operational disruptions in the aftermath of the tragedy. Signed by Air India chief executive and managing director Campbell Wilson, the email communication comes a day after Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran admitted in a media interview that the airline’s communication with passengers, after the crash, had not been strong.

Chandrasekaran, who’s also the Air India chairman, had told Times Now on Wednesday evening that the airline had now set up a “strategic communications team” in addition to its regular one. As part of this change, Air India issued a detailed public statement, explaining the events of June 12—the day of the crash—and the reasons for the subsequent wave of cancellations.

In his email to frequent flyers on Thursday evening, Wilson gave a glowing tribute to the flight crew of AI171, stating that Captain Sumeet Sabharwal had over 10,000 hours flying widebody aircraft and First Officer Clive Kunder had over 3,400 hours of experience. Against the backdrop of multiple cancellations and lower demand, he assured flyers that the aircraft had undergone all required maintenance checks.

Thanking flyers for their patience, the Air India CEO wrote: “This is a challenging time for all of us...Your trust means everything to us,” He elaborated that as a result of the enhanced safety checks and other external disruptions, the airline would reduce its international widebody flights by around 15 per cent starting June 20, 2025, through to at least mid-July. This move, he said, would “allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues”.

Passengers affected by the revised schedule would be contacted directly and offered a choice of rebooking at no additional cost or a full refund. “We understand that this temporary reduction to our schedule may affect your travel plans, and we’re deeply sorry for any inconvenience,” he wrote.

Wilson spoke of “deep sorrow” over the loss of 241 passengers and crew members, and 34 people on the ground, calling the AI171 crash on June 12 in Ahmedabad a “devastating event”.

He said Air India was working closely with authorities and was fully committed to supporting the affected families. “Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event,” he wrote.

"The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," he noted.

He confirmed that 26 of the airline’s 33 Boeing 787 aircraft had undergone DGCA-mandated enhanced safety inspections and had been cleared for service. The remaining aircraft would be inspected before being returned to operations.

“As a confidence-building measure,” he added, “we have elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft.”

He acknowledged that the additional checks, along with other external and operational factors, had resulted in a “higher-than-usual number of cancellations” in recent days.

Chandrasekaran had pointed out on Wednesday that Air India had taken several internal steps in recent days to strengthen its communication and operational response. Wilson’s email to frequent flyers would perhaps be counted as one of those steps.