New Delhi, Oct. 5 -- Thirty-eight years after an Indian Airlines flight crashed near Ahmedabad, killing 133 people, Air India has asked the Supreme Court to fast-track a hearing in a compensation dispute whose outcome could reshape how India compensates victims of air crashes.

The apex court is scheduled to hear the plea on Monday, according to the cause list, after Air India filed its application on 1 October. At the heart of the dispute is a simple question: should families of air-crash victims continue to be compensated using formulas developed for road-accident victims under the Motor Vehicles Act, or should courts adopt a separate framework for aviation accidents?

The outcome could shape how compensation is determined in future air...