London, 19 June

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal began his two-day visit to London by paying tribute to Ahmedabad-London plane crash victims.

Goyal, who arrived in London on an Air India flight nearly a week after the tragic incident claimed 270 lives, led on Wednesday a minute’s silence at the India Global Forum (IGF) UK-India Week stage, joined by UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds and IGF Founder Manoj Ladwa.

The minister said while investigations into the factors behind the tragic crash were ongoing, the incident must act as a wake-up call for the world to promote stricter airline safety protocols.

“I’d like to pay my condolences to the near and dear ones of all those who lost their lives in the very unfortunate tragedy,” Goyal told PTI on the sidelines of the summit.

“It's very, very sad that 241 of the 242 people on board, including 53 British nationals, lost their lives. I pray for the departed souls and hope God gives their family members the strength to bear this very terrible loss,” he said.

“It's an act of God. It's an accident. Of course, the investigations are ongoing, but it is a wake-up call for the world to promote much stricter protocols for passenger safety in the future,” he added.

Goyal began his visit with talks with Reynolds on the implementation of the roadmap for the India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

"Reiterated our shared goal of implementing the comprehensive and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement that reflects the ambitions of both nations," Goyal said on X.

This was followed by the two ministers, described as the key architects of the FTA, sharing insights from their negotiations during an IGF plenary session entitled Agreement to Action in the UK-India FTA.

Goyal later met UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy at the summit, and said in a social media statement that the two "explored avenues for greater cultural collaboration and creative exchange, an essential pillar of our vibrant bilateral relationship”.

Piyush Goyal began his London visit by paying tribute to Ahmedabad-London crash victims at IGF UK-India Week. He called it a wake-up call for air safety, discussed FTA progress with UK officials, and explored cultural ties.