New Delhi: “I opened Instagram in the afternoon, and saw a post that said an Air India flight crashed, I wondered why they were posting about a crash that happened 15 years ago. Ten minutes later, I realised that another flight had crashed, tears rolled down my eyes,” said the 32-year-old Precita D’Souza, who lost her father in an Air India Express aircraft crash in 2010.
The aircraft that was carrying 166 people from Dubai to Mangaluru overshot the runway, killing 158 people. “I have never taken an Air India flight since then,” she added.
After taking off from Ahmedabad airport, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed with 242 people on board.
After reading the news, D’souza immediately called her mother, who was equally scared since she was also travelling from Mangaluru to Chennai. “We had flashbacks of what happened then. We both stopped watching the news, we do not have any anger, and we don’t want to blame anyone. It was a bad day for my father,” said D’Souza.
D’Souza’s father, Ignatius D’Souza, a chef by profession, was coming home to his two kids when he died in the plane crash 15 years ago. More than a decade has passed since the family says they were promised the money—but they’re yet to receive it.
“When the incident happened. We were promised some money, but till now, even after 15 years, we have not received money. Till now, we have a case going on in the Bangalore High Court,” said D’souza.
D’Souza isn’t the only one claiming not to have received the compensation amount after the 2010 crash from the government.
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Memories of 2020 Kozhikode crash
Abdur Rahman Edakkauni, a survivor of the 2020 Air India plane crash and the chairperson of the Karippur air crash action forum, has advice for the families of those who were onboard the Ahmedabad flight.
“We only got our compensation from the airline and the insurance companies because we stood together. It’ll be a long road, but you must stand with each other. It’s the only way anything will get done,” he said.
Edakkauni said that Air India’s response to the survivors was glib. He claimed that the airline’s lawyer was extremely rude.
“When one of the passengers was speaking about how she was injured and how it has impacted her quality of life, the lawyer replied, saying ‘I’m not responsible for that’,” Edakkauni claimed.
He alleged the airline got almost Rs 700 crore in insurance claims, but not even half has made its way to the survivors. He added that those affected by the Ahmedabad crash must be made aware that the airline should take care of the survivors and the family of the dead. “It’s their responsibility; people should come together and make sure they don’t try to get out of it,” said Edakkauni.
Edakkauni shared his bitter experience, as he recalled having to run around for compensation from Air India and insurance companies. “We have not received money from the government as well,” he claimed.
The Boeing 737 that was bringing back stranded Indians during the pandemic from Dubai to Kozhikode in Kerala skidded off the runway due to the rain and broke into two pieces after landing. The incident claimed 21 lives. Both pilots lost their lives in the crash, and 75 people were seriously injured. There were 160 survivors.
“Among us, there was a girl who lost her parents in the crash; she had to run from pillar to post to get Rs 4 crore in compensation. Before we fought that case, we consulted multiple lawyers across the world who had helped survivors of plane crashes,” said Edakkauni.
He added that the wounds of the crash don’t heal. “It has been five years, and a lot of the survivors are still not back in the workforce. Their lives and the lives of their families are forever changed,” said Edakkauni.
Edakkauni and the survivors have turned their pain and anger into action for positive change. They have funded the upgradation of a Primary Health Care facility near the Kozhikode airport. “If this facility were well equipped, many more people would have survived. We’ve spent around Rs 50 lakh of our own money on this project,” he said.
The new PHC building is set to be inaugurated on 7 August, on the fifth anniversary of the plane crash.
With inputs from Theres Sudeep.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)