Air India Plane with 244 Aboard Crashes After Takeoff from Ahmedabad
An Air India flight en route to London tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, killing or injuring many on board and sending shockwaves through the aviation community.
According to officials and local media reports, Air India Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time.
Just five minutes into the flight, the aircraft crashed into the densely populated Meghani Nagar residential area, causing a massive fire and chaos on the ground.
The plane was carrying 244 people, including 232 passengers and 12 crew members, bound for Gatwick Airport in London, where it was scheduled to land at 6:25 p.m. UK time.
Dramatic footage broadcast on Indian television showed thick black smoke rising from the crash site, as emergency personnel rushed to contain the blaze and rescue any survivors.
Local authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties, but the scale of the impact suggests significant loss of life and property damage.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed the incident in a post on X, saying that rescue and medical teams were on-site, and the government is taking every measure to assist the victims.
“We are on the highest alert, and I am personally monitoring the situation,” he stated.
This marks the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its commercial introduction in 2009.
Over 1,000 units of the wide-body aircraft have been delivered worldwide, and the model is considered one of Boeing’s most technologically advanced.
Air India’s chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, expressed sorrow over the incident, stating that the airline’s primary focus is on assisting victims and their families.
An emergency response center has been activated to support relatives of those on board, and the airline pledged full cooperation with investigators.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of those affected by this devastating event,” Chandrasekaran said.
As investigations into the cause of the crash begin, both Indian aviation authorities and Boeing are expected to play a central role in determining what went wrong in one of the darkest days in Indian aviation history.
Air India Plane with 244 Aboard Crashes After Takeoff from Ahmedabad