Details surrounding the meeting remain unclear; however, it reportedly focused on the crash of Air India’s London-bound flight AI171 — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — in Ahmedabad last week, as noted by the source.
The tragic incident on June 12 resulted in the loss of over 270 lives, with the flight carrying 242 passengers and crew crashing into a medical college complex shortly after takeoff.
Also Read: ‘Most heartbreaking crisis’: Air India Chairman addresses staff after Ahmedabad crash
The flight took off at 1:39 pm, but within seconds, after reaching an altitude of about 650 feet, began to descend. At 1:39 pm, the pilot issued a May Day call to the Ahmedabad ATC. When reached for comment, Boeing chose not to address the meeting between Pope and Chandrasekaran.
“We are not going to comment on that. As previously expressed, our thoughts are with the loved ones of all those affected by Air India Flight 171. We are committed to supporting the investigation and our customer,” said a Boeing spokesperson. Air India’s spokesperson was unavailable for comment.
Chandrasekaran toured the Air India headquarters and training academy on Monday, speaking to around 700 employees and the leadership team following the June 12 tragedy.
Also Read: ‘Mayday..No Power..Going Down’: Air India AI171 pilot’s last message to ATC, say sources
“I have encountered various crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one that I never expected to witness,” sources reported Chandrasekaran as stating. He encouraged employees to demonstrate resilience and use this event as motivation to create a “safer airline”.
