Following the Air India Flight 171 crash, Tata Sons established the AI171 Trust with a Rs 500 crore corpus, potentially reaching Rs 1,000 crore with Tata Trusts' contribution.
In a compassionate move following the tragic crash of Air India Flight 171, one of the worst aviation disasters India has seen in over a decade, Tata Sons has come up with a decision to set up a special welfare trust to support the grieving families.
The trust, named AI171 Trust, will be launched with an initial corpus of Rs 500 crore, and sources say Tata Trusts is likely to contribute an equal amount, bringing the total to Rs 1,000 crore. The gesture comes just weeks after the crash that claimed the lives of more than 250 people, including passengers and bystanders on the ground.
This isn’t just about numbers — it’s about lives lost, families shattered, and futures changed overnight. And in the midst of that heartbreak, this initiative stands out as a long-term commitment to help families rebuild.
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In an emotional board meeting held on Thursday, just two days after Noel Tata visited the crash site and met survivors in Ahmedabad, Tata Sons approved the proposal. N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons and Air India, is expected to lead the trust. Sources say the trust will include non-Tata members to ensure broad representation and transparency.
This approach echoes Tata’s earlier response to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, when the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust was set up to support not only the victims and their families, but later expanded to serve frontline workers and soldiers during the pandemic.
Air India and Tata Sons had earlier announced Rs 1.25 crore in financial aid to each victim’s family, but the trust aims to go further — supporting education, healthcare, and livelihood for those left behind.
Meanwhile, compensation claims from the crash are likely to cross $475 million, with around $350 million tied to foreign nationals aboard the flight. It is reportedly said that legal processes and insurance payouts are expected to take time, but the AI171 Trust will act as a quicker and more personal safety net.
