New Delhi: Air India has allegedly offered additional cash settlements to the families of those who died in the June 12 crash in Ahmedabad in exchange for giving up the right to sue the airlines and aircraft manufacturer Boeing.Flight AI 171 flying from Ahmedabad to London had crashed moments after take-off in June last year, killing all but one of the 242 passengers on board, making it one of the worst aviation accidents in recent times. The plane had crashed over a medical college hostel, killing another 19 people on the ground and injuring several others. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which crashed that day had a history of technical failures. The Tata Group-owned Air India had announced Rs 2.5 million in compensation while the former had pledged Rs 10 million to each family who lost a member in the crash. Now, the airline is offering an additional settlement ranging from Rs 1-2 million to “irrevocably and forever release” the right to file a lawsuit against Air India and Boeing, the Independent has reported.According to the report, Air India will offer the additional sum to those who sign an indemnity document giving up the right to take part in any current or future lawsuits.“We the Releasors agree that all the indemnities contained herein shall remain fully binding, effective and enforceable irrespective of the forum, place, country or jurisdiction in which any such claim demand, action or proceeding is brought or pursued,” one of the clauses in the document accessed by the Independent reads.“Within the last seven days, one family was offered Rs 35 lakh, including Rs 25 lakh previously paid by Air India as interim compensation, as the final settlement. We asked them not to sign. We oppose this document. It asks grieving families to give up all their legal rights while the investigation is still ongoing. The full truth is not known yet, and it is still unclear who is responsible,” Ayush Dubey, a case manager at Chionuma Law told the Times of India. The law firm is representing 103 of the 260 people killed in the crash and 67 injured victims.Ahmedabad crash probeIt must be noted that the investigation into the crash has not concluded. The preliminary investigation report, released by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) a month after the crash, had insinuated that pilot error was responsible for the accident.Investigations had revealed that both the fuel switches on the B787-8 Dreamliner had moved from “run” to “cut-off” almost simultaneously. According to the report, one of the pilots had asked the other why he cut off the fuel, to which the latter had responded saying that he hadn’t done so.The fuel switch on a 787 Dreamliner needs to be lifted before it can be moved between “run” and “cut-off”. This safeguard is meant to prevent accidental engine shutdown.However, earlier this month, an Air India flight originating from London, which involved the same type of aircraft, had narrowly missed clearing pre-flight checks due to faulty fuel switches.The aircraft was grounded after one of its fuel switches moved from “run” to “cut-off” without the required lift action twice during pre-flight checks. The incident occurred on flight AI-132 that was scheduled to fly from London’s Heathrow airport to Bangalore on February 1.After failing to lock in position twice, the switch did not move a third time without being lifted. The aircraft then departed Heathrow and was grounded after landing in Bangalore.The incident has challenged the presumption that the Ahmedabad crash was the result of manual pilot action.Lawsuits against Air India and BoeingAccording to the Independent, several families in London have filed a personal injury lawsuit against Air India, while the families of four passengers killed in the crash have sued Boeing and Honeywell – the manufacturer of the fuel switches – holding them responsible for the crash.