An Air India Boeing 787 aircraft crashed Thursday morning shortly after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad. The plane was en route to London Gatwick Airport, which later confirmed the crash occurred during departure.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that over 240 people were on board, including 10 crew members and two pilots. Flight AI171 was scheduled to land in London at 6:25 p.m. local time.
In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Air India said the flight “was involved in an incident” and that the airline was “ascertaining the details.”
Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 showed the aircraft only reached an altitude of 625 feet before contact was lost.
Images circulating on social media showed thick black smoke rising near the runway.
According to a Reuters report, local police confirmed that the plane crashed in a residential area close to the airport.
India’s Minister for Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, expressed his shock on X:
“I am shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad. We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.”
