Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, the only survivor of the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June 2025, has called for “honesty, transparency and answers” a year on from the disaster. The British national, who lost his brother in the crash, spoke of his “significant psychological scars” and financial hardship.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner struck a medical college shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport, killing 241 people onboard the London-bound flight, including 169 Indian nationals and 52 Britons, as well as 19 people on or near the site. A further 67 were seriously injured.
Investigators have yet to publish their findings. Last month, India’s civil aviation minister said the investigation was in the “last stage” and the report would “mostly” be finished by the anniversary of the crash on 12 June. A preliminary report released 30 days after the crash found both fuel switches had moved to the “cut-off” position immediately after take-off.
Ramesh said there were more “unanswered questions” he wanted addressed. “I live with the significant psychological scars, the loss of my brother, and the constant unanswered questions around how and why this happened,” he told the Press Association. “More than anything, people need honesty, transparency and answers.”
Ramesh has received £21,500 from Air India to support his wife and five-year-old son, but continues to face financial hardship. His representative, Sanjiv Patel, said Ramesh had not been able to return to work and his family was living on less than £1,000 a month. Patel added that neither Ramesh nor many affected families had received direct contact or tailored support from the UK government.
An Air India spokesperson confirmed that representatives from Air India and the Tata Group had met Ramesh and remained in “close contact”. Paul McClorry at Hudgell Solicitors said civil claims were being considered against a number of potential defendants, adding: “We are awaiting the findings of the investigations, and we should finally start to see some clarity as to how and why this awful disaster happened.”
