Air India CEO expresses ‘deep sorrow’ in first statement following deadly plane crash

Air India CEO expresses ‘deep sorrow’ in first statement following deadly plane crash Source: Air India

Transcript

00:00Good afternoon. I am Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India.

00:05I want to brief you on a serious incident that involved an Air India aircraft a short while ago.

00:11But first and most importantly, I would like to express our deep sorrow about this event.

00:18This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India,

00:21and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones.

00:30I know that there are many questions, and at this stage, I will not be able to answer all of them.

00:36But I do want to share the information we have at this time.

00:41Air India flight AI-171, operated with a Boeing 787-8 aircraft,

00:48travelling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, has been involved in an accident after take-off.

00:53Flight AI-171 was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board.

01:01Of the passengers, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals,

01:09there are seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.

01:14The injured passengers have been taken by local authorities to the nearest hospitals.

01:20We are actively working with the authorities on all emergency response efforts.

01:26A special team of caregivers from Air India is on their way to Ahmedabad to provide additional support.

01:33The investigations will take time, but anything we can do now, we are doing.

01:39We know that many people are concerned for the welfare of their loved ones.

01:45We have set up a special helpline that friends and family can reach us at.

01:49The number is 1-800-56-91444.

01:56That is 1-800-56-91444.

02:03We understand that people are eager for information.

02:07Please know that we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can.

02:13But anything we report must be accurate and not speculative.

02:17We owe that to everyone involved.

02:19For now, our teams are working around the clock to support passengers, crew, and their families,

02:27as well as investigators, however we can.