According to report by local media, an Air India passenger plane bound for London, England with 244 people onboard crashed on Thursday in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad.
Footage from local television channels showed smoke rising from the crash site close to the airport in Ahmedabad, a city with a population of more than five (5) million.
Director General of the directorate of civil aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told the Association Press, that Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8, crashed into Meghani Nagar, a residential area, five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time.
The flight which was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport, had 232 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, Kidwai revealed.
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, India’s Civil Aviation Minister, made known on X that, rescue teams have been mobilised, and are making efforts to ensure medical aid and relief support are on site.
Kinjarapu said, “We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation.”
Right now, “our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families”, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Air India’s chairman, said.
He said on X: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.”
Photo: Firefighters are seen in action at the site of an airplane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. Vijay Soneji/TheHindu
