Mangalore air crash: Court orders Air India to pay Rs 8 crore to pilot's family
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Nov 4: More than three years since the tragic crash of Dubai-Mangalore Air India Express flight at Bajpe here, a labour court in Mumbai has directed the airline to pay a compensation of around Rs 8 crore to the family of Captain Zlatko Glusica, the aircraft's pilot who died in the crash.
The national carrier had contended that Glusica's family was not eligible for compensation as he was not an Indian national, however, the labour court dismissed the claim and ordered Air India 'to deposit 7.45 lac dollars (Rs 4.63 crore) as per the workmen compensation package, besides 50 percent of the compensation amount as penalty for delaying the payment, and 12 percent interest per annum on the compensation amount from the date of accident till the date of depositing the amount', the Bangalore Mirror reported.
The Bangalore Mirror in its report stated that Air India officials had ignored repeated requests from Glusica's family, based in Belgrade, for compensation, after which the family approached the labour court. The family stated that while the kin of other officers and crew members of the ill-fated flight had been compensated appropriately, the same was denied to them simply because Glusica was not an Indian.
As per rules, Air India was supposed to pay workmen compensation based on the pilot's age and salary. The 55-year-old Glusica was drawing a salary of 11,000 dollars a month, which meant he had to be paid 5,500 dollars (half of his salary) multiplied by 135.56 (a figure specified by the Workmen Compensation Act as per his age) as compensation. The government announced interim compensation of Rs 10 lac to the families of 158 persons who were killed in the crash, and Rs 2 lac to the eight who were injured, but no compensation was paid to Glusica's family, the Bangalore Mirror reported.
Capt Glusica was blamed for the crash by a government-appointed court of inquiry two years after the incident. The inquiry report had stated that the crash was caused by the pilot's failure to "discontinue an unstabilised approach and persisting with the landing".
The labour court while pronouncing the verdict pointed out that while the airline had compensated kin of other victims, it had ignored Glusica's family for 'reasons best known to them'.
Reacting to the verdict, Glusica's family said that the court had 'honoured the dignity of our lives' while Air India had been 'disrespectful to his family', the tabloid stated.