'Completely out of context,' AISATS response to viral video of officials partying, days after the Ahmedabad crash

A few days after the Air India tragedy in Ahmedabad, a video was seen circulating around the internet of Air India SATS officials partying, with various key executives making it to the occasion. The video reportedly shows the officials at a DJ party in the Gurugram office, and the attendees allegedly included AISATS COO Abraham Zakaria and Bengaluru International Airport Limited's General Manager Sampreet Kotian.

AISATS is a cooperative venture between the Air India Limited, which is a Tata group company, and SATS limited, which is based out of Singapore (previously known as Singapore Airport Terminal Services). The partnership between the two organizations specialize in providing airport services to airports located in India.

The viral video outraged social media users, as the celebration had taken place when the families of the victims were yet to receive the bodies of the deceased. With the stance being seen as insensitive, X users commented on the video, criticizing the event.

A user wrote, "Problem with Indian corporates is that they don't have heart, only thing matter is money. If someone dies let's give some money to victim's family, no accountability, no investigation & no arrest. They just create a public image through charity, so no question asked," implying the lack of empathy shown towards the tragedy and the victims.

Another user replied, "Would’ve been more advisable for you to defer and not host parties at such times @airindia," with other comments similar to the tone.

Though there are some who insist that they are just relaxing as it is equally hard on them, the X post sparked debates on the levels of empathy.

AISATS issued a statement, to IANS, “AISATS is aware of a video being circulated on social media that unfortunately is completely out of context. Notwithstanding, we sincerely regret any emotional discomfort this may have caused.”

In an attempt to apologize through a public statement, it did not achieve to diffuse the outrage, it angered the public more. The audience felt that the organizations did not respect the situations of the families.

The plane crash occurred on June 12. The plane departed from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Airport in Ahmedabad, shortly after which it crashed into a hostel premises in Meghaninagar.

The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carried 241 passengers, including the crew members, and the crash killed all, and only one passenger survived. It also killed non-passengers, while the DNA identifications have helped identify all but one victim. The black box footage is still under investigation, to determine the cause of the crash.