An Air India passenger airplane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed within the western Indian metropolis of Ahmedabad on Thursday, quickly after departing for London’s Gatwick airport, the airline and officers stated. A senior police official instructed The Related Press there have been no recognized survivors from the airplane, and that there have been additionally possible casualties on the bottom because the plane had careened into buildings.
“Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was concerned in an accident at the moment after take-off,” Air India stated in a press release posted on social media.
The airline stated the airplane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed at 1:38 p.m. native time carrying 242 folks, together with 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
Ajit Solanki /AP
“Investigations will take time, however something we will do now, we’re doing,” Air India CEO Campbell Wilson stated in a video assertion on Thursday. “We perceive that individuals are looking forward to data. Please know that we are going to proceed to share correct and well timed data as quickly as we will, however something we report have to be correct and never speculative. We owe that to everybody concerned. For now, our groups are working across the clock to help passengers, crew and their households — in addition to investigators — nevertheless we will.”
Wilson stated the airline was sending a “a particular staff of caregivers” to Ahmedabad to supply help.
Gatwick Airport confirmed in a press release that flight AI171 had “crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport at the moment.” The airport stated the airplane had been because of land at Gatwick, which is simply south of London, at 6:25 p.m. native time (1:25 p.m. Japanese).
“It seems there aren’t any survivors within the airplane crash,” the AP quoted Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik as saying. “Because the airplane has fallen in a residential space which additionally had places of work, some locals would have additionally died.”
Malik was later quoted by India’s nationwide information company ANI as saying there was one survivor discovered on the airplane, however there was no additional affirmation from the airline or different authorities.
A spokesperson for Boeing instructed CBS Information the corporate was “involved with Air India concerning Flight 171 and stand able to help them. Our ideas are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
The incident was the primary of its form for the 787-8 Dreamliner, in line with Boeing’s April 2025 statistical abstract of incidents involving its plane.
The Nationwide Transportation Security Board stated it might “be main a staff of U.S. investigators touring to India to help the Plane Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the crash.”
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration stated India’s authorities would lead the investigation, however added that it was “able to launch a staff instantly in coordination with the NTSB” if required.
Unverified video shared on-line by Indian community NDTV purportedly reveals the passenger jet flying low over buildings earlier than disappearing behind them. There may be then a big explosion. No fireplace or explosion might be seen on the plane earlier than it disappears.
A part of the airplane hit the eating space of B.J. Medical Faculty and killed not less than 5 medical college students, Divyansh Singh, vice chairman of the Federation of All India Medical Affiliation, instructed the AP. He stated almost 50 individuals who had been within the constructing have been injured.
“Among the injured are vital. We’re in shut contact with our friends within the hospital who’re on a lookout for extra folks feared buried within the particles,” he stated.
The pinnacle of India’s Directorate Basic of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, instructed the AP that flight AI171 crashed 5 minutes after taking off. Reside flight monitoring web site Flight Radar stated a ultimate sign was obtained from Flight AI171 simply seconds after it took off. The flight path on Flight Radar confirmed the plane touring southwest from the airport a brief distance earlier than the trail stopped, and the location stated preliminary knowledge confirmed the plane reached a most barometric altitude of 625 ft earlier than it began to descend.
“At this level, it’s extremely, very, very early, we do not know an entire lot,” Aviation guide John M. Cox instructed the AP. “However the 787 has very in depth flight knowledge monitoring — the parameters on the flight knowledge recorder are within the 1000’s — so as soon as we get that recorder, they’re going to be capable to know fairly shortly what occurred.”
Ajit Solanki/AP 
The Indian Military stated it had deployed not less than 130 personnel, together with medical doctors and paramedics, to help civil authorities in combing by means of the particles and serving to to deal with the injured, the AP reported.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated “the tragedy in Ahmedabad has shocked and saddened us. It’s heartbreaking past phrases. On this unhappy hour, my ideas are with everybody affected by it. Have been in contact with Ministers and authorities who’re working to help these affected.”
“The scenes rising of a London-bound airplane carrying many British nationals crashing within the Indian metropolis of Ahmedabad are devastating,” U.Ok. Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated in a press release.
