London-bound Air India flight crashes after take-off from Ahmedabad

An Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon, with several fatalities feared. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with a seating capacity of around 300, was operating as Flight AI171 to London Gatwick and was carrying 242 people, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew members.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the flight took off at 1:38 PM IST from Runway 23. Within moments, the aircraft issued a MAYDAY call to air traffic control. However, there was no further communication, and the plane crashed just outside the airport boundary, hitting the perimeter wall and going down near the Meghaninagar–Dharpur area. Visuals from the crash site showed thick, black smoke billowing into the sky, visible from several kilometers away.

The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with over 8,200 hours of flying experience. First Officer Clive Kundar was in the co-pilot’s seat, with 1,100 hours of experience. Emergency services responded rapidly, dispatching at least seven fire engines and multiple rescue teams to the site. The aircraft, heavily fueled for the long-haul journey, was quickly engulfed in flames, severely complicating rescue and containment efforts.

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According to a statement from Air India, the flight was carrying passengers of multiple nationalities. There were 169 Indian nationals on board, along with 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national. The airline confirmed the incident in a post on social media and stated that details are still being verified. They added that further updates would be shared as soon as they are available.

As a result of the crash, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport has temporarily suspended all flight operations. In a public statement, the airport spokesperson advised travelers to check with their respective airlines for updates before heading to the airport. The airport remains non-operational until further notice, as rescue efforts and investigations continue.

The cause of the crash has not yet been determined. Aviation safety authorities, including the DGCA, have launched a detailed investigation. Recovery of the aircraft’s black boxes — the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder — will be key to establishing what went wrong in the critical moments after takeoff.

While today’s crash marks a tragic chapter, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is generally considered one of the safest long-haul aircraft in commercial aviation. Since its introduction, the 787 has experienced only a handful of serious incidents, such as battery fires in 2013 that led to the temporary global grounding of the fleet. That same year, a parked Ethiopian Airlines 787 caught fire at London Heathrow. More recently, a LATAM 787 encountered a severe in-flight upset in 2024 that injured several passengers. In 2016, a KLM 787 had a near miss with an IndiGo A320 near Jaipur, which led to procedural reviews. Despite these incidents, until now, there had been no fatal crashes or hull losses involving the Dreamliner.

Today’s incident in Ahmedabad may become the first fatal crash involving the aircraft type. Authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties or survivors, but unverified reports from the scene suggest multiple fatalities. Rescue operations remain underway.

This is a developing story. More information will be released as soon as it is confirmed by official sources