Bangalore, May 24: In the wake of crash of one of its flights from Dubai at Mangalore, Air India on Monday rejected
reports that operational and engineering infrastructure of its budget carrier was inadequate and did not meet required norms.
The airline said it was well equipped to handle operations and fleet maintenance to established standards. Apart from independent administrative and technical staff, Air India Express has fully trained and qualified pilots and engineers to run operations, the airline said in a release.
On the Air India express flight which claimed 158 lives, the airline said “regrettably, in certain sections, this
accident is being used to malign functioning of Air India Express”.
The track record of Air India Express has been outstanding with its technical dispatch reliability being above 99.5 per cent. Manufacturers of the fleet – Boeing have also been very appreciative of Air India Express on this aspect, the release said.
Meanwhile, India said that it has decided to release an immediate interim payment of Rs 10-lakh to the family members of each victim of the Mangalore aircrash. Besides, the family members of victims below 12-years of
age would be provided Rs five-lakh as interim compensation, the airline said.
“To provide immediate relief to the family members of the deceased and injured passengers, Air India Charters has
decided to release an interim payment of Rs 10-lakh. For passengers below the age of 12, it has been decided to provide a relief of Rs five-lakh,” Air India spokesperson Harpreet Singh De told reporters here.
Air India will pay an interim compensation of Rs two-lakh to the family of each injured passenger, she said.
The bodies of 122 passengers who died in the Mangalore plane crash have been handed over to their family members and
relatives, she said, adding 22 bodies are yet to be identified.
–Agencies