Singapore Airlines on Wednesday said it is close contact with Tata Sons and Air India and is offering them full support and assistance in the wake of last Thursday’s Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad.
Singapore Airlines, which is 25.1 per cent share holder in Air India, issued the statement in response to remarks by former civil aviation minister Praful Patel. In a X post, Patel, who is also a Rajya Sabha MP, questioned Singapore Airlines’ silence over the crash.
“In all the sorrow and din surrounding the Air India crash, there remains a surprising silence — or perhaps ignorance — about the role of a substantial shareholder, and the entity responsible for maintaining a large number, if not all, of Air India’s wide-body aircraft. They (Singapore Airlines) seem to be in hiding. Let’s not forget — they have a say in management and a codeshare agreement with Air India,” Patel said in his post.
In response the airline said: “The Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group extends our deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of everyone affected by the devastating Air India flight AI171 accident. We have been in close contact with our partner Tata Sons and Air India, and continue to offer our full support and all necessary assistance to them during this difficult time.”
Singapore Airlines partnered with Tata Sons to launch Vistara in 2015. Following Vistara’s merger with Air India, the Singapore carrier holds 25.1 per cent stake in the unified airline. The two airlines have also extensive collaboration in areas like commercial, engineering and operations. Singapore Airlines CEO Goh Choon Phong is also member of Air India’s board and its former executives are contributing to Air India’s turnaround plans.