Air India Crashes and Compensation: A Jurisprudential Review of Domestic and International Legal Regimes

The landscape of aviation liability and victim compensation in India is characterized by a complex interplay of international conventions and domestic legal frameworks. This article provides a jurisprudential review, analyzing the evolution from limited carrier liability to a system emphasizing strict and potentially unlimited accountability, largely driven by the Montreal Convention of 1999 and its integration into Indian law. Recent Air India tragedies, such as the Ahmedabad Flight 171 crash in 2025, have brought renewed scrutiny to compensation mechanisms, highlighting both the significant financial implications for airlines and their insurers and the persistent challenges faced by victims' families in securing equitable redress. Judicial precedents in India have played a pivotal role in enhancing compensation standards, often pushing payouts beyond initial airline offers. Despite these advancements, complexities arising from multi-jurisdictional claims, the arduous process of proving negligence, and disparities in compensation for different victim categories underscore the continuous need for refinement in legal and regulatory frameworks to ensure timely and just compensation.