Ex-aviation minister Praful Patel questions Air India partner Singapore Airlines’ ‘surprising silence’ on Ahmedabad crash

Former Civil Aviation Minister and senior NCP leader Praful Patel on Wednesday hit out at Singapore Airlines—a 25.1 per cent stakeholder in Air India — over what he termed as “deafening” and “surprising silence” following the crash of Air India flight Al-171 last Thursday in Ahmedabad.

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In a post on X, Patel said that Singapore Airlines — a key commercial and maintenance partner of Air India — seems to be “in hiding”, an apparent reference to the lack of a public statement from the airline in the aftermath of the crash.Following Patel’s post, Singapore Airlines said that it has been in close contact with Air India and its owner, Tata Sons, and continues to offer its full support and necessary assistance to them.An Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight Al-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed moments after take-off on Thursday. The aircraft had 242 people on board; only one survived the accident. There were several casualties on the ground as well.