Today marks the first anniversary of the Air India Flight 171 crash, an aviation disaster that has devastated the families of those onboard.
Stewarts acts for a large group of families affected by the crash, led by partners Sarah Stewart and Peter Neenan, specialists in complex international aviation claims. From the earliest stages of the aftermath, our role has been to bring clarity to an inherently complex and overwhelming situation, helping families understand what happens next and supporting them through decisions that often need to be made under significant emotional strain.
A year on, bereaved families are still seeking clear answers about how and why this disaster occurred. For them, understanding the technical causes is only part of what is needed. Accountability, transparency and preventing future loss of life remain essential.
One year on
The passage of time has not brought clarity for the families. They continue to live with profound uncertainty about how and why this tragedy occurred.
Although official investigations have progressed over the past year, the central questions remain. Establishing the truth is essential – not only to understand what happened, but to ensure it does not happen again.
Progress of the investigation
One year on, bereaved families are still waiting for meaningful answers about how and why this tragedy occurred.
While international aviation rules anticipate the publication of a report or, where this is not possible, an interim update on each anniversary, no such update has been issued at this stage. For bereaved families, who have endured twelve months of uncertainty, the absence of clear findings only reinforces the sense of frustration and unanswered questions.
A thorough, independent and transparent investigation remains essential. Establishing the truth is not only critical for the families seeking answers, but to ensure that lessons are learned and future loss of life is prevented.
Our families will continue to press for a full explanation of what happened.
Accountability and the need for transparency
Regardless of the stage reached in the investigation, the expectations of bereaved families remain unchanged.
Aviation accident investigations must be independent, thorough and transparent. Only a clear and properly evidenced explanation of what happened can will help the families understand what happened and what is being done to prevent similar tragedies in future.
The passage of time does not lessen the need for truth.
