Channel criticism to build a safer airline: AI chair

Air India chairman N Chandrasekaran on Monday urged employees to channel criticism over the crash of AI Flight 171 in Ahmedabad last week into building a safer and better airline even as he met a top Boeing executive and Union aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu to discuss the accident and its aftermath.

- Neha LM Tripathi

NEW DELHI:

Describing the crash as the "most heartbreaking" crisis of his career, Chandrasekaran told the company's employees at the airline's headquarters that "we must wait for the outcome of the investigation before drawing conclusions," an airline official said.

Addressing the criticism the airline has faced, Chandrasekaran acknowledged that it is difficult for those who care deeply about their work and the future of the airline. However, he encouraged employees instead to draw strength from determination and channel their emotions into building a safer and better airline.

"We need to show resilience. We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.