Air India crash victims’ kin to form action committee

Family members and relatives of the Air India crash victims met in Dubai again this weekend, for the second time in less than seven days, to form an action committee against the delaying tactics by airline representatives in awarding compensation.

The Air India Express flight that was flying from Dubai to Mangalore on May 22 crashed at the Mangalore airport after it overshot the runway killing 158 passengers. An investigation in the accident revealed that the incident was caused by pilot negligence.

The family members are protesting the lack of transparency and commitment from the airline and its representatives towards awarding compensation to the kith and kin of the crash victims.

Mulla & Mulla & Craigie Blunt & Caroe and a UK firm are representing Air India's insurance underwriters in compensating victims of the Air India air disaster.

Mulla & Mulla partner HD Nanavati is representing India's national reinsurer General Insurance Corporation (GIC) in the claims, while a UK firm is acting for the international reinsurers, which according to reports is understood to include Mitsui Sumitomo.

Relatives, who had first met on Wednesday, had alleged in a press conference that Nanavati is trying to bargain with relatives in an effort to try and bring down the compensation. Some of them even alleged that compensation was being decided based on the income certificate being produced.

Relatives who met again on Friday said they would form a representative committee that would operate under the Malabar Pravasi Coordination Council (MPCC), a UAE based association representing Non Resident Indians from Kerala State.

“Our first step will be to take it up at the political level. We are planning to take up the issue up the president of India and to the President of the ruling Congress party, Sonia Gandhi. The committee will meet again and finalise these decisions,” said Abdul Rahman, who lost his wife and children in the crash.

Members have also threatened to file a legal case in the UAE, the place where the flight originated, in-order to force the officials into taking speedy action.

The Air India Express plane crash in Mangalore is estimated to result in an insurance claim that could reach Rs4 billion (Dh313m, $85m) – the largest payout in Indian aviation history – according to experts.

The Montreal convention, which India is a signatory and so is the UAE, carriers are liable for a maximum of 100,000 special drawing rights (SDR), equivalent to about $147,000 at today's rates.

Abhay Pathak, Air India's Regional Manager for Gulf speaking over telephone from Syria only said, “We will not be able to moment anything at this time.”

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