After taking off, an Air India flight headed for London crashes in Ahmedabad, killing 242 people on board

Five minutes after takeoff on Thursday, a Air India’s Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers from London crashed in the Meghani neighborhood close to Ahmedabad airport. Prior to the crash, the captain called Air Traffic Control for a mayday.

By Soumya Ranjan

Published: 12 Jun 2025

In Short

• Flight was Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board
• Crash occurred 5 minutes after take-off, visuals showed thick smoke in area
• Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani among 230 passengers on flight

On Thursday afternoon, five minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport, an Air India flight bound for London crashed. There were 242 people on board the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, comprising 12 crew members and 230 passengers. According to a senior police officer, the plane crashed at a doctors’ hostel in the Meghani region.

Online flight trackers identified the flight as Air India 171, which was scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:10 pm and arrive at Gatwick Airport in London. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar were piloting the aircraft. Visuals showed dense black smoke filling the air as it took off at 1:38 pm and crashed five minutes later.

The tragedy “stunned and saddened us,” according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described the incident as “heartbreaking beyond words.” “Words cannot express how heartbreaking it is. I’m thinking of everyone who is impacted by this sad time. He tweeted, “I’ve been in contact with ministers and authorities who are trying to help those affected.”

After the crash, seven fire engines and other emergency personnel raced to the scene. India Today TV was able to view a number of images that demonstrated the severity of the horrifying crash, including one that showed the instant the plane crashed and burst into flames. The nose of the plane was seen in another video piercing deep into the hostel where it crashed.

“A B787 Dreamliner operated by Air India from Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) airport crashed into a residential neighborhood in Meghani Nagar five minutes after takeoff, at 1:38 PM. One Flight Operations Inspector (FOI), the Directorate of Airworthiness (DAW), and the Assistant Directors of Airworthiness (ADAW) are already in Ahmedabad on another assignment. In a statement, the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated, “They are receiving details.”

Up to three NDRF teams, totaling ninety people, have been sent from Gandhinagar to the crash site. According to the NDRF, three more teams are being relocated from Vadodara.

Air India issued a statement on X confirming the incident. “Today, June 12, 2025, Flight AI171, which was flying from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an incident. We are currently figuring out the specifics and will provide more information as soon as possible,” the tweet said.

“The authorities looking into this incident have the full cooperation of Air India. Another tweet stated, “Air India will provide more details through frequent updates on its X handle and on airindia.com.”

Flightradar24, an aviation tracker, states that the Boeing 787-8 passenger jet was registered under the registration VT-ANB. Earlier in the day, the jet had taken off from Delhi and arrived in Ahmedabad.

Vijay Rupani, the former chief minister of Gujarat, was among the 169 Indians on board, according to the passenger list obtained by India Today. There were 53 Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian on the passenger list.

A statement regarding the horrifying crash was also released by the Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Following the copilot’s mayday call to Air Traffic Control (ATC), the aircraft did not respond.

The aircraft carried 242 people, including 10 cabin crew members and 2 pilots. Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar were in charge of the aircraft. Additionally, Captain Sumeet Sabharwal has 8200 hours of experience as an LTC. The copilot had flown for 1100 hours. The aircraft took off from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23, according to ATC. It sent a MAYDAY call to ATC, but the aircraft did not respond to ATC’s subsequent calls. Immediately following takeoff from runway 23, an aircraft crashed onto the ground outside the airport’s boundaries. The DGCA reported seeing a lot of black smoke emanating from the scene of the accident.

According to news agency ANI, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, urging them to travel to Ahmedabad and make sure the impacted individuals receive all the aid they need.

According to Ram Mohan Naidu’s office, “all relevant agencies are on high alert, and coordinated efforts are underway,” ANI reported.

You can reach Air India’s passenger updates by calling their hotline at 1800 5691 444.