Air India Plane Crash: What Does Travel Insurance Cover? From Death Cover To Assistance, All You Need To Know

An Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on Thursday has sent shockwaves across India. The London-bound Boeing aeroplane, carrying more than 200 passengers, crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport.

Air India aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 82,000 hours of experience, whereas the copilot had an experience of 1100 hours of flying experience, news agency ANI reported.

While the ghastly aeroplane crash has raised alarms about air travel safety in India, it has also left many people wondering about clauses related to compensation in such cases.

Air India Plane Crash: All About Compensation

According to a Ministry of Civil Aviation's notice, the Delhi High Court has made compensation mandatory in cases of death or permanent disability due to due to negligence or unforeseen causes in the course of provision of public services.
In case of death event due to bodily injury on an international flight, airlines operating in India are bound to give compensation to affected passengers as per the Montreal Convention, 1999.

As per the convention, compensation includes upto 128,821 Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) - roughly Rs 1.4 crore per passenger, regardless of fault, reported Business Today expressing a possibility that the framework would be applicable by Indian carriers on domestic routes as well.

Air India Plane Crash: What To Travel Insurance Cover?

Apart from compensation, air travel passengers can also get themselves covered at the time of their journey by opting for travel insurance. "If a passenger unfortunately loses their life in an accident like this, the accidental death benefit under travel insurance helps the affected family. It ensures the family receives a lump sum payout, often ranging from ₹10 to ₹15 lakh if the sum insured is around $150,000, helping them navigate the difficult time financially," said Meet Kapadia, Head of Travel Insurance at Policybazaar.

Air India Plane Crash: What Does Travel Insurance Cover

"Such policies also typically cover emergency medical evacuation, which can be critical if a passenger needs to be airlifted or transferred to a specialised medical facility for urgent treatment. In the unfortunate event of a fatality, the insurance also takes care of repatriation of mortal remains, ensuring the deceased can be brought home with dignity, without placing the logistical or financial burden on the family," Meet added.

Travel insurance offered by TATA AIG covers situations like unexpected disruptions, loss of baggage, etc. As per Air India's official website, the travel insurance generally offers unexpected disruptions, loss or delay of checked-in baggage, flight delays, trip cancellations, or other unforeseen incidents. It also covers expenses of a medical emergency during trip. It also includes baggage issues, theft, and even passport loss.

Air India Plane Crash: What Has Happened So Far?

London-bound Air India's Boeing aircraft, carrying nearly 242 passengers, departed from Ahmedabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.

Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site, said the official. Thick plumes of smoke could be seen at the accident spot, and fire tenders have reached the spot.

Several media reports are claiming that former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani was also among the passengers of the Air India plane that crashed in a locality near the Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday afternoon.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences over the Air India plane crash and said that he is touch with Ministers and authorities who are working on ground for the rescue of injured passengers.

"The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected," read a post by Narendra Modi on X.