“You should be ashamed of yourselves."
Air India has issued a statement after a video of top officials from one of its joint ventures partying went viral just days after a devastating plane crash that killed 270 people.
The video shows senior staff from Air India SATS (AISATS) dancing and celebrating at the firm’s Gurugram office on June 20, just eight days after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after takeoff.
AISATS, which is jointly owned by Air India Ltd and Singapore-based SATS Ltd, was responsible for preparing the load sheet for the doomed Ahmedabad–London Gatwick flight.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show AISATS Chief Operating Officer Abraham Zachariah dancing with colleagues as loud music plays.
The reaction online has been fierce, with many describing the act as deeply insensitive.
One commented: “How could they? Even if it was planned earlier. It could [have] been postponed.”
Another wrote: “Pathetic and highly insensitive.”
A third added: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. I hope you clowns are grounded.”
The backlash comes as hundreds of grieving families wait for the remains of loved ones to be identified.
Most of the bodies from the crash were charred or mutilated beyond recognition, forcing relatives to provide DNA samples for identification.
In the wake of the recent air crash and other challenges facing Air India, an unverified video has surfaced reportedly showing the COO and VP at a DJ party on Friday at the airline’s Delhi office.#AirIndia #AirIndiaCrash @TataCompanies #airlineaccountability pic.twitter.com/9nzPf1sg5V
— Pradeep Rai (@pradeepraiindia) June 21, 2025
In a statement, AISATS said: “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.”
The company did not offer further details about the event seen in the video.
The crash, which occurred on June 12, killed 270 people, including 169 passengers and 12 crew members.
Air India confirmed that 53 of the passengers were British nationals, along with seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and several Indian citizens.
At least 38 people were also killed on the ground after the plane plunged into a residential area just moments after takeoff.
The sole survivor, British national Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, from Leicester, was seen limping away from the wreckage in a widely shared video before being rushed to hospital.
He has since been discharged and served as a pallbearer at the funeral of his brother, who was also on the flight.
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