Thiruvananthapuram: The Air India Express on Saturday agreed to consider the compensation claim by Amritha C, the wife of Nambi Rajesh. Rajesh had died in an Oman hospital without his wife by his side, as her flight was repeatedly cancelled amid a strike by the Air India Express crew. In an emailed response to Amritha, the airline agreed to consider her compensation claim while seeking more time to sort the matter.
The Kerala government had also sought the Centre’s intervention to secure compensation for the family of the deceased. In a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kerala General Education Minister V Sivankutty invited his attention to the “unfortunate incident” that took place in the life of Amrita due to the Air India strike. Rajesh’s family had also protested with his body outside the AISATS office seeking compensation from Air India Express. They said that if the airline had not cancelled flights, his wife would have been by his side.
Nambi Rajesh, a native of Karamana in Thiruvananthapuram, was hospitalised on May 5 after collapsing at his workplace in Muscat. His wife Amritha C booked a ticket to Muscat on an Air India Express flight for the next day. She arrived at the airport in the morning, only to discover that the airline had cancelled services due to the cabin crew protest. Despite her efforts to persuade the airline officials, her pleas and tears fell on deaf ears. Instead, they sent her back home with a false promise of providing a ticket the next day. Amritha then inquired about the possibility of securing a ticket for the following day, but her efforts were in vain. Ultimately, she had to cancel her trip. Rajesh passed away a week later.