In a statement on X, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi said: The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected. A senior police officer has told reporters that the Air India flight AI171 crashed on a doctors’ hostel. “The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel … we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,” they said, reports Reuters. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the report. Here is a video via the newswires that shows smoke rising above Ahmedabad after an Air India flight crashed on Thursday: “Many people” have died in a plane crash in India’s Ahmedabad city, the country’s health minister said on Thursday, the first confirmation of casualties in the accident. In an earlier statement, Air India said the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals. “At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates,” Air India said on X. The Air India tragedy in Ahmedabad is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed. While airlines using the Boeing plane have had widespread problems with engines on the 787 plane, leaving many having to ground planes and reduce flights, the 787’s safety record in service has been so far good. However, the US safety regulator the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had to investigate several concerns over the years, including a mid-air dive on a LATAM flight last year. A whistleblower last year also urged Boeing to ground all 787 Dreamliners worldwide, in Washington hearings. Boeing rejected the claims by the former engineer and said it was fully confident in the plane. There are more than 1,100 787s in service worldwide, used by most major international airlines. The model has been prized for its far better fuel efficiency and lower noise than the types it replaced. The two major crashes that were due to faults on Boeing planes were using the then new 737 Max model, in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2019 and 2020. That model taken out of service for almost a year, before being relaunched and returned to widespread use. India’s aviation safety history has been chequered, but as the airline industry has boomed and passenger flying has become more and more common, its safety record has improved. Air India now operates about 30 Dreamliners, and has been using the American-built long-haul plane since 2012. In aviation, crashes are statistically most likely on landing or take off. According to flight tracking information on Flightradar24, the plane had taken off and reached a height of 625 feet. The last Air India crash, in August 2020, was on a smaller Boeing 737-800 Air India Express that was landing back at Calicut airport in very bad weather and skidded off the runway. A Boeing spokesperson said: We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information. UK prime minister Keir Starmer said his thoughts were with the passengers and families of those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed in Ahmedabad. According to the PA news agency, he said: The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time. Here are some more images coming in via the newswires: Air India has said that the passengers on its flight AI171 included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. In a statement on X, Air India said: Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take off. The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident. The UK government will provide “all the support that it can” to those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed shortly after take off, House of Commons leader Lucy Powell said. According to the PA news agency, speaking in the Commons, Powell said: The thoughts of the whole House and the government will be with the families of those traveling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London, Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed. This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many, many families and communities here and those waiting for the arrival of their loved ones. We send our deepest sympathy and thoughts to all those families, and the government will provide all the support that it can with those in India [and] those in this country as well. Fifty three British nationals were on board an Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed after take off in Ahmedabad, Air India said. The UK Foreign Office has said that the UK is working with local authorities in India to “urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved”. A spokesperson for India’s Ahmedabad airport has told the news wires that the airport is not currently operational and all flight operations have been temporarily suspended. Video footage circulating on social media purports to show the Air India flight AI171 crash: Here are a couple of images coming in via the newswires: Gatwick airport posted on X that it could confirm the Air India flight AI171, which had been due to arrive at 6.25pm in London, had crashed on departure from Ahmedabad airport. It added that more information would follow. Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press (AP) that Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787, was carying 232 passengers and 12 crew members. Air India confirmed that its flight 171 from the western city of Ahmedabad to London Gatwick had crashed in a “tragic accident”. “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today,” Air India chair Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP). “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” he said, adding that an emergency centre has been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information. The London-bound flight took off from Ahmedabad at about 1.47 pm, slightly delayed from schedule. Officials say it crashed nine minutes after being given clearance for take off. India’s directorate general of civil aviation just gave this statement to Indian media: Captain Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8,200 hours of experience. The co-pilot had 1100 hours of flying experience. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site. Flight tracker website, Flightradar24, has shared that initial ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance broadcast) data from the Air India flight AI171 shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet). It then started to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute, it adds. India’s aviation minister has said he is “shocked and devastated” at the flight crash in Ahmedabad. “We are on the highest alert,” he added, with rescue teams mobilised. According to Reuters, the Indian aviation regulator said that the Air India aircraft fell after depature on ground outside the airport perimeter. Although there has not been an official number given of the number of passengers and crew on board the Air India flight AI171 yet, the Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) and Reuters have cited a police source as saying that there are at least 242 passengers on board. The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the report. Air India have released a statement, reading: 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 (https://x.com/airindia). An aircraft has crashed in India’s western city of Ahmedabad, fire service officials have told Agence France-Presse (AFP), without giving immediate details of the plane or any toll. Thick plumes of black smoke were seen over the airport, an AFP reporter said. The Times of India reports that an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, bound for London, crashed shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport. According to its report, the aircraft plunged into the Meghani area of the city, triggering an immediate emergency response. This is a breaking news story and we will bring you updates as they come in.
Author: Amy Sedghi