Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu on Friday said the investigation into the Ahmedabad Air India crash that killed 260 people last year is in its final stage, with the report expected within a month.
Speaking at an event in GIFT City in Gandhinagar, Naidu said the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is conducting the probe independently and has been provided all required resources by the government.
“Investigation is going on very strongly. We have to understand one thing that when foreign nationals were travelling on the plane that crashed, it will be up for scrutiny by any country,” Naidu told reporters.
He said the investigation was being carried out with seriousness, fairness, and transparency.
The crash took place on June 12 last year when Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 aircraft headed to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical college hostel complex shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
The aircraft caught fire after the crash, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and 19 people on the ground.
Naidu also said the ministry would address grievances raised by the families of victims. He said a dedicated ministry cell is coordinating compensation and other support measures announced after the disaster.
“We are monitoring the situation. We have a cell in the ministry, which is coordinating compensation and other things announced at that time. If someone has any issue, we will look into it,” he said.
The minister’s remarks came after around 30 families of crash victims from Gujarat reportedly wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the release of the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder data to determine the cause of the crash.