Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said families of the medical students in the hostel where the fateful Air India plane crashed would receive equal compensation as the passengers aboard AI 171 who lost their lives.

Addressing the plane crash, the subsequent investigation, and the coverage of the international media, minister Kinjarapu said, “Equal compensation will be given to the medical students’ families who lost their lives due to being in the hostel, as much as is given to those who had family members aboard AI 171”. 

The minister also said that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) who released the preliminary report on the plane crash, said that the body carried out the probe in a transparent manner. He also decried the media reports that were “promoting their own viewpoint” and giving in to speculation. “The way we are seeing the investigation is through facts. We want to stand by the truth. And that will only be revealed when the investigation is complete,” he said in the Rajya Sabha.

He also clarified that this is the first time a black box has been decoded in India, even if it was damaged. 

Kinjarapu said all the rules pertaining to the international protocol have been followed. 

The minister also spoke about recruitments to be done by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. He said 190 roles will be filled by the body by the end of the year. 

“Many of these posts at the DGCA were created in the last two years. Creation of the post is one matter, recruitment is another. We at the ministry are continuously looking at the situation. UPSC is also involved in the process. These are very niche and subject experts. We are looking for a very specific pool of talent, who will ensure compliance and safety.” He said that the recruitment process would be very rigorous.