Air India's Chairman N. Chandrasekaran on Monday told staff that last week's plane crash that killed at least 271 people should be a catalyst to build a safer airline, urging employees to stay resolute amid any criticism.

Three days after the crash, only 35 bodies had been handed over to relatives from an overall official death toll of 270.

Doctors in India say 270 bodies have been recovered from the site of Thursday's plane crash in Ahmedabad. The London-bound aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off killing all but one of the 242 passengers and crew members, a 40-year-old British man.