A Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Air India, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed this Thursday shortly after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 230 passengers and 12 crew members.
The plane, registered as VT-ANB, took off at 1:38 PM (local time) before losing contact with the control tower five minutes later, having only reached an altitude of 190 meters. According to several witnesses, the aircraft flew over a residential area before crashing into a building housing doctors in Meghani Nagar, not far from the airport. A violent explosion, followed by a fuel-fed fire, caused thick black smoke visible from several kilometers away.
Among the people on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian. Rumors also mention the presence of Vijay Rupani, former Chief Minister of Gujarat, but this information is yet to be confirmed.
Rescue teams were quickly deployed: more than seven fire trucks, ambulances, and 90 members of the NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) responded to the scene. An emergency medical center was set up, and the injured were transferred to nearby hospitals. No official estimate has been provided yet, but Reuters reports “many fatalities,” and local media mention at least 30 bodies found, with several people still trapped under the rubble.
This tragedy marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 since it entered service in 2011. Ahmedabad Airport has suspended all operations until further notice.
Air India expressed its condolences through its chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran and has set up a helpline center for families. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated he was “shocked and devastated,” while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart Keir Starmer offered their support to the grieving families. Home Minister Amit Shah is overseeing the rescue operations with local authorities.
An investigation is underway. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and Boeing technicians are examining the black boxes. Initial findings rule out adverse weather conditions and lean towards the hypothesis of a technical incident or engine failure.