‘Our COO was present’: Air India responds after ex pilot questions leadership absence from Sabharwal’s funeral

Air India on Tuesday issued a formal tribute to Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the commander of flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, stating that senior Tata Group and airline executives were present at his funeral in Mumbai. 

In a statement titled ‘A Final Salute to Captain Sabharwal’, the airline said, “With profound grief and heavy hearts, we bid farewell to Captain Sabharwal – an exceptional aviator, a dedicated professional, and a beloved member of the Air India family.”

Air India added that its Chief Operating Officer, Tata Group’s Head of HR, and Communications Head were present at the funeral to represent the group and offer moral support to the bereaved family. “At his funeral today, our COO, Tata Group’s HR Head and Communications Head joined his family, friends, and colleagues to pay their respects, share in their pain and grief, and to offer moral support on behalf of the entire Air India and Tata Group family,” the statement said.

The airline said Captain Sabharwal’s “unwavering commitment to the skies and his quiet strength on the ground earned him deep respect across the aviation fraternity” and added, “His memory will continue to inspire us, and his legacy will forever be etched in the heart of Air India.”

The emotional tribute came hours after former pilot Shakti Lumba publicly questioned the absence of Tata Group Chairman N Chandrasekaran and other board members at the funeral. In a strongly worded open letter addressed to Chandrasekaran, the veteran aviator wrote: “Today on June 17th when Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal — the Commander of Air India flight AI 171 — was laid to rest, you were just a few kilometres away in Mumbai. Yet, neither you nor a single board member of Tata Sons or Air India found the time, or perhaps the inclination, to attend his funeral. Not one.”

The letter went on to compare this with past examples of leadership under the Tata banner. “Ashwani Lohani, a former Air India Chairman, understood this. When a relatively junior Flight Despatcher passed away in Mumbai years ago, Lohani didn’t send a card or a floral arrangement. He showed up — and went further, offering the grieving wife a job. No cameras. No LinkedIn posts. Just humanity.”

Referring to Tata legends, Lumba asked: “Now imagine for a moment — would J.R.D. Tata have stayed away? Would Ratan Tata, who personally visited animal shelters and grieving ex-employees, have sent regrets via social media posts and emails?” “No, they would’ve been there,” the letter added. “Because they understood that airplanes may cost thousands of crores, but the men and women who fly them are priceless.”

The letter, shared “on behalf of many disillusioned voices,” accused the leadership of distancing itself from frontline employees. “It’s not about protocol, sir. It’s about people…When the Chairman of Tata Sons cannot find time to attend the funeral of a Captain who dedicated his life to serving the skies under the Tata banner, what message does that send to the rest of the crew?”

Captain Sabharwal, who had logged over 8,200 flying hours, was in command of the ill-fated Boeing 787 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad, killing all but one of the 242 people on board, along with 29 others on the ground. The crash occurred minutes after take-off when the aircraft issued a ‘Mayday’ and smashed into a nearby medical complex.

His final rites were performed at the Chakala electric crematorium in Mumbai on Tuesday. His 88-year-old father, Pushkaraj Sabharwal, led the cremation in a ceremony attended by family and close friends. Several well-known personalities, including businessman Niranjan Hiranandani and local MLA Dilip Lande, visited the family to pay their respects.

Air India has announced financial aid — including Rs 1 crore compensation from Tata Sons and an additional Rs 25 lakh interim relief.  

The letter concluded on an emotional note: “Today, the employees of Air India feel abandoned. Not by fate, not by circumstance, but by you. And in your absence, we saw everything.”