169 Indians, 53 British nationals among onboard
Ahmedabad, Jun 12: A London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in a residential area here minutes after taking off from the Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon. Many people were feared killed.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft (AI171) could be seen from afar, losing altitude rapidly and crashing in a ball of fire that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiralling up in the air. The aircraft carrying 232 passengers and 10 crew crashed in Meghaninagar area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport around 2 pm.
Airport operations in the city were temporarily suspended.
According to Air India, the ill-fated Air India flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick had 169 Indians, 53 British, and one Canadian national on-board.
There was no official estimate of those killed or injured. There were fears that some in Meghaninagar could be among those who lost their lives.
Many of those injured were taken to the city civil hospital nearby.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, asking them to go to Ahmedabad and ensure all possible assistance to those affected in the tragedy, sources said.
Visuals from the area showed mangled metal of the wreckage, snarls of tangled wire and smoke rising from the charred remnants.
“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on http://airindia.com and on our X handle,” Air India posted on X.
Expressing his profound sorrow, Air India chairperson N Chandrasekaran said an emergency centre has been activated and support teams set up for families seeking information.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event. At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.
“We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted. Further updates will be shared as we receive more verified information,” he said in a post on X.
Jayesh Patel, an eyewitness, said he was just about 500-600 metres away when he heard a loud sound and saw smoke in the air. “I have never seen anything like this,” he told NDTV, adding that thousands of people came on to the road.
Emergency responders reached the site promptly and have launched intensive rescue, evacuation, and firefighting operations.
Thursday’s tragedy is the second air disaster in Gujarat’s principal city.
On October 19, 1988, an Indian Airlines plane crashed in its final approach to the Ahmedabad airport, killing 130 people.
169 Indians, 53 British nationals among 242 onboard
There were 169 Indians, 53 British, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals onboard the ill-fated Air India flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, which crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members onboard the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, Air India said in a statement on social media platform ‘X’.
“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,” it said.
The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals, the airline said.
“We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information,” it said.
Air India also said that it is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating the incident.
