India, June 19 -- In a single fiery instant over Ahmedabad, the confidence in civil aviation - India's and the world's - came crashing down with Air India's ill-fated Dreamliner.
The death roll of 142 plus about another 20 deaths on the crash site at the hospital is tragic, but the fallout runs deeper. Investor panic, plunging Boeing shares, and over '1,000 crore in insurance claims expose a volatile mix of corporate negligence, regulatory failure, and a sector increasingly driven by cost-cutting rather than caution.
The Tata Group, which owns Air India, promptly announced a '1 crore compensation per victim - a gesture as much about damage control as it is about accountability.
Aviation analysts believe this move is less generosity and m...