Air India crash victims can wait for compensation while pilot’s father defends son’s reputation

Air India told families of the June 2025 Ahmedabad Boeing 787 crash that there is no deadline or pressure to accept the airline’s final compensation offer. The carrier said families are free to wait for the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau’s (AAIB) final report before deciding whether to sign the Settlement and Indemnity agreement, a practice the airline says is common worldwide.

The father of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, one of the pilots killed in the crash, said he will continue to protect his son’s reputation amid media speculation that the senior pilot may have cut off fuel to the engines. He rejected reports linking his son to the fuel‑switch incident noted in the AAIB’s preliminary findings and noted that the Supreme Court has ruled there is no suggestion of fault. The investigation remains ongoing, with no definitive cause identified yet.