Four months on, sole survivor of Air India crash battles trauma, injury and financial ruin

Leicester: Nearly four and a half months after the fatal crash of Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, the only survivor, 39-year-old Vishwashkumar Ramesh, remains severely injured, financially strained, and struggling with profound trauma.

Ramesh, who was seated in 11A beside the emergency exit, miraculously escaped the burning wreckage that claimed 241 lives. The crash, one of the worst aviation accidents in India’s history, claimed 260 lives, including 241 passengers, when an Air India Boeing 787-8, operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, went down shortly after take-off on June 12. Ramesh’s younger brother, Ajaykumar, seated in 11J, was among those killed in the June 12 disaster.

Following initial treatment in India, Ramesh returned to the UK on September 15. He says he has yet to receive psychiatric care through the NHS and continues to face physical and emotional challenges, according to a Times of India report. “Mentally, I have completely broken down,” he told reporters. Now living in Leicester, he struggles to walk, cannot drive, and spends most of his time isolated at home.

The brothers had jointly managed the family’s fishing business in Diu, which has since collapsed, cutting off the family’s primary source of income. Ramesh’s wife also lost her universal credit benefits after travelling to India for two months in the aftermath of the crash.

Air India has offered Ramesh an interim payment of £21,500 (₹25 lakh), to be offset against any final compensation. Ramesh described the sum as inadequate, citing high living costs in the UK and ongoing medical expenses.

Community leader Sanjiv Patel and crisis adviser Radd Seiger, who are supporting the family, criticised both Air India and UK authorities for what they described as a lack of timely and tailored assistance. Seiger said repeated requests for a meeting with Air India’s senior leadership had gone unanswered.

In response, Air India said it remained “deeply conscious” of its responsibility towards Ramesh and all affected families. The airline added that senior Tata Group executives had met with relatives and that an offer for Ramesh’s representatives to meet company officials “remains open,” with ongoing outreach efforts.

For now, Ramesh’s focus is on managing his pain, improving his mobility, and accessing mental health support as he mourns his brother and faces an uncertain future.

Meanwhile, Air India Chief Executive Campbell Wilson has described the June plane crash as “absolutely devastating” for all those involved, saying the airline has been doing everything possible to support affected families and staff.

Speaking at the Aviation India and South Asia 2025 conference in the national capital, Wilson said the interim investigation report into the accident indicated that there were no technical issues with the aircraft, its engines, or the airline’s operations.

“We obviously, as with everyone else, we await the final report, and if there’s anything to learn from it, we will,” he said, marking his first public appearance in India since the disaster.

“It was absolutely devastating for the people involved, for the families of those involved, and the staff. And since that time we have really been doing absolutely everything we can to support those affected, both families and also those on the ground, also the first responders, and really do whatever we can to ease their journey forward,” Wilson said.

(With PTI inputs)