Mumbai: Tata Sons, the majority stakeholder in Air India, is in the process of securing board approvals to establish a trust aimed at providing financial assistance to the families of victims of the Air India Flight 171 crash in Ahmedabad. During an interim board meeting held on Thursday, Chairman N. Chandrasekaran briefed board members about the proposed structure of the trust, according to multiple sources.

The company is seeking approval for a proposed allocation of around ₹500 crore to fund the initiative, one of the sources said. Previously, Tata Sons had considered creating two separate trusts—one to support the families of Indian victims and another for foreign nationals who lost their lives in the crash. As per reports, the trust, named the AI171 Trust, is expected to receive a matching contribution from Tata Trusts, which holds the largest stake in Tata Sons.

The crash, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was en route to London, claimed more than 250 lives, including 241 passengers and 19 people on the ground. Tata Sons and Air India had earlier announced joint ex-gratia compensation of ₹1.25 crore for each of the deceased victims’ families.

This initiative draws parallels with the Taj Public Service Welfare Trust, created in December 2008 by Indian Hotels (Taj group) after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. That trust initially supported victims and employees affected by the attacks and later expanded to aid injured soldiers, migrant workers, and frontline healthcare staff during the pandemic.

The emergency board meeting came two days after Tata Sons director and Tata Trusts chairman Noel Tata visited the crash site and met injured survivors in Ahmedabad. DeshGujarat