Air India Families Mark One Year Since Kerala Crash as Healing Remains a Distant Horizon

For the families who lost loved ones on Air India Express Flight 1344, the scar of August 7, 2020, refuses to heal. One year later, relatives still visit the crash site near Kozhikode airport, placing flowers where the Boeing 737-800 skidded off the runway and broke apart, killing 21 people including both pilots.

A runway that became a grave

The aircraft had been attempting to land during heavy monsoon rains when it overshot the table-top runway at Karipur airport in Malappuram district. Of the 190 passengers aboard, 173 survived. Those who perished included three children, an elderly couple celebrating their daughter's wedding, and a software engineer returning home to start a new job. The youngest victim was just 12 years old.

"My daughter called me from the airplane before it landed," said Shaji Varkey, whose 24-year-old daughter Anitha died in the crash. "She said the weather was bad. Twenty minutes later, I received a call from the hospital asking if I had anyone to claim."

What the families still demand

Twelve months on, the Air India Express families have formed an association that now represents 16 of the deceased. They have submitted three separate petitions to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation seeking answers about why the airline continued operations despite known risks at table-top runways during wet conditions. No formal response has arrived.

The airline itself has remained largely silent. Air India, which was acquired by the Tata Group in January, has not issued any public statement acknowledging the anniversary. A spokesperson declined to comment when approached for this report.

The investigation's slow crawl

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau released its preliminary report in February, identifying a 90-second window where the crew could have diverted to nearby Kannur airport. The final report, however, has been delayed three times. Sources within the bureau, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the hold-up involves internal disagreements over whether pilot error or systemic failures should be listed as the primary cause.

For the survivors, the delay matters less than the nightmares that persist. Meera Devasia, 34, from Kochi, still cannot board any aircraft. She was seated in row 23 when the plane flipped. "I see that moment every night," she said during an interview at her home. "The oxygen masks dropped and everyone started screaming."

A community reshaped by loss

The crash altered the demographic makeup of Malappuram district. Among the 21 dead, 14 were native to Kerala. The remaining seven came from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and one from the United Arab Emirates. Local mosques and churches altered their prayer schedules on the day of the crash to accommodate grieving rituals that continued for 40 days.

The state government allocated 20 lakh rupees per family from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, but this sum barely covers funeral costs, let alone the years of income lost when a primary earner died. The Air India Express compensation package offers a maximum of 75 lakh rupees per victim under the Montreal Convention, though families report receiving only partial payments as of this month.

Changes made, gaps remaining

The aviation regulator has since mandated that all table-top runways in India—seven of them, including Karipur—install emergency arresting systems by December 2021. Air India Express grounded its remaining fleet of 737-800 aircraft for 11 days following the crash, conducting additional pilot training on wet-weather approaches.

Critics say the measures remain insufficient. Captain Rajeev Rajan, who heads the Air India Express Pilots Association, told reporters that the airline hired 45 new commanders in the six months after the crash but provided only three days of additional simulator training per pilot. "The culture has not changed," he said. "Management still prioritises on-time departures over safety margins."

What remains at the site

The runway at Karipur reopened for operations within 72 hours of the crash, a decision that enraged families who said it demonstrated how little their losses mattered to the aviation ecosystem. Today, passengers arriving at the airport see a small memorial near the terminal entrance: 21 metal plates bearing names, surrounded by potted plants maintained by airport staff.

A permanent memorial with a reflecting pool and stone inscriptions is scheduled for construction beginning in October, according to Kerala's Chief Minister office. The project was announced in March but has stalled due to disagreements between the state government and Air India over who bears the 3 crore rupee cost.

What happens next

The families association plans to hold a memorial gathering at Karipur on August 7, limited to 50 attendees due to ongoing pandemic restrictions. They have invited members of parliament from Malappuram district to attend, hoping to generate political pressure for faster compensation and a conclusive investigation.

The final Air India Express accident report is now expected by September 30, according to a notification posted on the civil aviation ministry website. Until then, the families will continue their rituals: visiting the memorial, lighting candles on the seventh of each month, and waiting for answers that may never satisfy the question of why their loved ones never came home.