India, June 22, 2025 : As investigations continue into the June 12 Air India Flight AI171 crash that claimed 275 lives, an unprecedented show of support from industry leaders has emerged for Tata Sons Chairman N. Chandrasekaran‘s handling of the tragedy, with many calling his response a benchmark for crisis leadership.
“I just deeply regret that this whole accident happened… and I feel very sorry,” Chandrasekaran told a TV interview, his voice heavy with emotion. The chairman’s raw honesty and refusal to deflect responsibility have drawn widespread acclaim from aviation experts and business leaders alike.
Captain Kishore Chinta, a veteran investigator formerly with India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, emphasised the exceptional nature of the incident. “This represents the rarest of the rare scenarios in aviation. To my knowledge, nothing quite like this has ever happened,” Chinta told the BBC, underlining the unprecedented challenges facing the airline’s leadership.
In a particularly striking moment, Chandrasekaran invoked his legendary predecessors with remarkable humility. “I am no JRD, I am no RNT (Ratan Naval Tata). But we all are driven by these values and hope we will conduct ourselves with the character and determination so that everyone can be proud of us.”
This approach has resonated strongly with industry peers. “This is where the Tata Group stands apart. There were no deflections,” wrote RPG Group’s Harsh Goenka in The Economic Times, comparing the response to the group’s exemplary handling of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. “In such moments, leadership is not about strategies or investor calls, but about presence, reassuring staff, comforting families, owning failures, listening with humility and acting with clarity.”
Rather than retreat behind legal teams, Chandrasekaran chose radical transparency regarding the aircraft’s maintenance. “The right engine was a new engine put in March 2025, the left engine was last serviced in 2023. Both engine histories are clean,” he revealed, while cautioning against speculation before investigations conclude.
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson echoed this transparent approach. “Words cannot express the pain we feel for the families and loved ones affected by this devastating event,” Wilson stated. “At Air India, your safety is our highest priority and always has been since we took over the airline in 2022.”
The airline’s decision to reduce international flights by 15% for enhanced safety checks – exceeding regulatory requirements – demonstrated what Wilson called “a confidence-building measure,” despite the commercial impact.
Former Jet Airways chief executive Sanjiv Kapoor defended these measures against critics calling for operational restrictions. “Air India has had a stellar safety record for decades. One tragedy and people lose all sense of perspective,” Kapoor posted on social media, noting that the Boeing 787 had achieved over 5 million flight operations globally without previous crashes until this incident.
“It’s very, very difficult to console anyone who has lost a mother, a father, a husband, a wife, a son,” Chandrasekaran acknowledged, announcing comprehensive support including Rs 1 crore compensation per family, medical expense coverage, and an ‘AI171 Trust’ for long-term assistance.
“All we can promise is we will be with them and I will be with them,” he pledged, shifting from institutional to personal commitment – a gesture that veteran journalist Vir Sanghvi described as embodying “the empathy, decency and sincerity that the Tatas are known for.”
Both Chandrasekaran and Wilson immediately travelled to the crash site, with the chairman promising the group would “not retreat from our responsibilities.” As Kapoor reminded critics, “Flying remains the safest form of transportation,” but when tragedy strikes, it is leadership character that defines an organisation.
