An Air India company plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ensuring the AI 171 flight between Ahmedabad and London-Gatwick, crashed today shortly after taking off. On board were 244 people (232 passengers and 12 crew members).
The Dreamliner spent only 625 feet at altitude before the contact was lost, less than a minute after takeoff at 1:38 p.m. it rushed into the residential area of Meghani Nagar, near the perimeter of the airport, causing an explosion and a thick cloud of black smoke, visible for several kilometers.
Immediately after the impact, rescue services – firefighters, ambulances, police and army units – were dispatched to the site. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered that all the necessary resources be mobilized “on a war foot” to take charge of the victims, according to India TODAY
The authorities confirmed the presence of 169 Indian citizens, 53 British, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian on board. Among the passengers was also the former chief minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani.
This accident is the first serious disaster involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its commissioning in 2009. Boeing shares fell almost 7% when the accident was announced.
An investigation was launched by the DGCA (Indian Authority for Civil Aviation), with the support of Boeing and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, to determine the precise causes of the accident.
No official information has yet been published concerning the number of victims or survivors. The Air India government and company have set up an emergency center for families.
✈️🇮🇳 Alert – an India air plane to London with 242 passengers on board crashed shortly after taking off, near Ahmedabad, India. (Ani) pic.twitter.com/db8fytkune
– Media future (@Mediavenir) June 12, 2025
