London-bound Air India plane with 242 onboard crashes near Ahmedabad airport

PTI, AHMEDABAD, JUNE 12, 2024 : An Ahmedabad–London Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed into a medical college complex here minutes after takeoff on Thursday, possibly killing all on board in one of the country's worst air tragedies.

There was no official count of those killed even hours after the Boeing 787 Dreamliner (AI171) crashed into the city civil hospital and BJ Medical College near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport and burst into a ball of fire.

As rescuers struggled to find survivors in the charred wreckage and pull out the injured—many with grievous burns—officials tried to assess the human magnitude of the disaster. Unofficial reports said the chances of survival of those on board were remote, and up to 25 people in the medical complex could also have died.

Pilot gave Mayday call to ATC before crash: DGCA

Soon after takeoff, the pilot of the ill-fated Air India aircraft gave a Mayday call to the Ahmedabad air traffic controller. However, no response was received from the aircraft to subsequent ATC calls, the aviation regulator DGCA said in a statement.

At around 2:00 PM, the London-bound Air India plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad airport. Several casualties are feared.

The aircraft was under the command of Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal, with First Officer Clive Kundar. DGCA said Capt. Sabharwal is an LTC with 8,200 hours of flying experience, while the co-pilot had 1,100 hours.

As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 13:39 IST (08:09 UTC) from Runway 23. It gave a Mayday call to ATC, but no further communication was received. The aircraft crashed outside the airport perimeter shortly after departure, with heavy black smoke seen coming from the site.

The Boeing aircraft, which was seen losing altitude quickly, crashed in the Meghaninagar area near the airport.

"On June 12, 2025, Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 persons onboard, including two pilots and 10 cabin crew," DGCA stated.

Of the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

The search is also ongoing for the aircraft's black box—the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—for clues to understand what happened in the last critical moments.

The 11-year-old aircraft could be seen from miles away, losing altitude rapidly and combusting in a fiery blaze that sent plumes of thick black smoke spiraling into the air. The aircraft climbed just about 600–800 feet before plummeting to the ground almost immediately, aviation sources said.

Former Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani was among the passengers on the doomed flight to London’s Gatwick Airport.

Visuals from the wreckage area showed bodies being pulled out and the injured, many with burns, being wheeled into the city civil hospital close by.

Eyewitnesses in Ahmedabad said the blaze was so intense that it led to several multi-storey buildings being burned, trees singed, and cars damaged. One image showed the snout of the plane crashing through the top floor of a building, which appeared to be a dining area of the nurses' and doctors' hostel.

Elsewhere too, there were scenes of complete devastation with mangled metal wreckage, snarls of tangled wire, and smoke rising from burning embers.

This is the first crash involving the Boeing Dreamliner, feted for its advanced features. It is also India’s second-biggest air disaster since 2020, when an Air India Express flight skidded off a wet runway while landing at Kozhikode in Kerala and split into two. Of the 190 people on board, 21, including two pilots, lost their lives.

Operations and Political Reaction

Airport operations in Ahmedabad were temporarily suspended and resumed towards the evening. The shock of the disaster echoed through political corridors in India and abroad, with heads of state and others offering their condolences.

“The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.

“In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected. I have been in touch with ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

President Droupadi Murmu said her thoughts and prayers are with the affected families.

“The nation stands with them in this hour of indescribable grief,” she said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah left for Ahmedabad to take stock of the situation. Earlier, he spoke to Gujarat Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi and the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner to assess the situation.

“Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad. Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site,” Shah said in a post on X.

Britain’s King Charles III said he and Queen Camilla were “desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning.”

“Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the families and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident across so many nations, as they await news of their loved ones,” read a statement from Buckingham Palace.

The ill-fated flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, along with First Officer Clive Kundar. According to the DGCA, Captain Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, while First Officer Kundar had 1,100 hours.

Immediately after departing from Runway 23, the aircraft fell to the ground outside the airport perimeter, the DGCA said in a statement.

“On June 12, 2025, Air India B787 aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad,” the statement read.

“There were 242 persons onboard, including two pilots and ten cabin crew.”

Several eyewitnesses described the horror they witnessed on an otherwise ordinary afternoon.

“The plane was flying very low, and it crashed into the residential quarters of doctors and nursing staff of Civil Hospital and BJ Medical College,” said Haresh Shah, an eyewitness.

“There are several five-floor buildings that are residential quarters for medical personnel. Many people in those apartments were injured as the buildings also caught fire along with the plane.”

Airline Response

Air India chairperson N. Chandrasekaran expressed profound sorrow and announced that an emergency centre had been activated, with support teams set up for families seeking information.