Former Civil Aviation Minister and senior NCP chief Praful Patel on Wednesday hit out at Singapore Airways – a 25.1 per cent stakeholder in Air India – over what he termed as “deafening” and “shocking silence” following the crash of Air India flight AI-171 final Thursday in Ahmedabad.
In a publish on X, Patel mentioned that Singapore Airways – a key industrial and upkeep associate of Air India – appears to be “in hiding”, an obvious reference to the dearth of a public assertion from the airline within the aftermath of the crash.
Following Patel’s publish, Singapore Airways mentioned that it has been in shut contact with Air India and its proprietor, Tata Sons, and continues to supply its full help and essential help to them.
An Air India Boeing 787-8 plane, working flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed moments after take-off on Thursday. The plane had 242 individuals on board; just one survived the accident. There have been a number of casualties on the bottom as nicely.
That is the worst aviation catastrophe involving an Indian airline in at the least 4 a long time, and in addition the primary crash of Boeing’s 787 line of plane, which first entered service in 2011. Patel was India’s civil aviation minister when the then government-owned Air India positioned orders for Boeing 787 jets.
“In all of the sorrow and din surrounding the Air India crash, there stays a shocking silence — or maybe ignorance — concerning the function of a considerable shareholder, and the entity chargeable for sustaining a big quantity, if not all, of Air India’s wide-body plane. Guess the title: Singapore Airways. They appear to be in hiding. Let’s not overlook — they’ve a say in administration and a codeshare settlement with Air India. Importantly, Campbell Wilson, the CEO of Air India, is a nominee of Singapore Airways. He beforehand served as CEO of their low-cost subsidiary, Scoot Airways. Why this deafening silence, SQ?” Patel posted on X. SQ is the code for Singapore Airways, like Air India’s AI and IndiGo’s 6E.
Following Patel’s publish, a Singapore Airways spokesperson mentioned, “The Singapore Airways (SIA) Group extends our deepest condolences to the households and family members of everybody affected by the devastating Air India flight AI171 accident. Now we have been in shut contact with our associate Tata Sons and Air India, and proceed to supply our full help and all essential help to them throughout this tough time.”
Story continues under this advert
Singapore Airways holds a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India because of the merger of Air India and Vistara. Singapore Airways held a 49 per cent stake in Vistara, whereas 51 per cent was held by Tata Sons. After the Tata group acquired Air India from the federal government in January 2022, it was determined that Vistara could be merged into Air India, giving Singapore Airways a fourth of the merged airline’s stake. To make sure, whereas Air India CEO Campbell Wilson was a Singapore Airways group govt, he was technically not a nominee of the airline in Air India. Wilson had joined Air India in 2022, when Singapore Airways had no direct stake within the former.
Singapore Airways is a key strategic associate for Air India below the Tata possession. Singapore Airways CEO Goh Choon Phong can also be on the board of Air India. Aside from different present partnerships and synergies, Air India had in Might 2024 appointed SIA Engineering Firm (SIAEC) – a Singapore Airways group firm – because the strategic associate for the event of Air India’s base upkeep amenities in Bengaluru. Projected to be prepared in 2026, the amenities will comprise each wide-body and narrow-body hangars, together with related restore outlets, to help the rising Upkeep, Restore and Overhaul (MRO) wants of the plane fleet within the Air India Group.
