Air India London-Bound Jet Crashes Near Ahmedabad Airport

 

An Air India plane carrying 242 people crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, bound for London Gatwick, Reuters reported, citing airline and police confirmations.

 

The incident occurred in a civilian area close to the airport, with no immediate details provided on potential fatalities.

 

The aircraft was en route to the UK's Gatwick Airport, Air India stated, while local police officials indicated the crash site was in a residential area near the departure point.

 

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the 242 individuals on board comprised 217 adults and 11 children. Among them, 169 were Indian nationals, 43 were British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

 

Aviation tracking website Flightradar24 identified the plane as a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most advanced passenger aircraft currently in service.

 

"At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates," Air India posted on X (formerly Twitter).

 

 

Television channels broadcast footage showing the moment the plane took off over a residential area before abruptly disappearing from view.

 

A subsequent huge cloud of fire and thick black smoke was seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses, with visuals also depicting burning debris near the airport.

 

Footage further showed individuals being moved on stretchers and transported away in ambulances.

 

According to air traffic control at Ahmedabad airport, the aircraft departed at 1:39 p.m. local time (0809 GMT) from runway 23. It issued a "Mayday" call, signalling an emergency, but subsequent attempts to contact the aircraft received no response.

 

Flightradar24 also reported receiving its last signal from the aircraft just seconds after its departure. The involved aircraft was registered as VT-ANB, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

 

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its shares (BA.N) fell by 6.8% to $199.13 in pre-market trading following the news.
 

 

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed the Indian aviation minister's office to ensure comprehensive support for immediate rescue efforts.

 

All relevant agencies are on high alert, with coordinated operations currently underway, the aviation minister's office added.

 

Ahmedabad serves as the principal city in Gujarat, Prime Minister Modi's home state. In the immediate aftermath, Ahmedabad airport announced the suspension of all flight operations.

 

India's most recent fatal plane crash occurred in 2020, involving Air India Express, the airline's budget subsidiary. In that incident, a Boeing 737 overshot a "table-top" runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India, skidding off and plunging into a valley, crashing nose-first into the ground.

 

Twenty-one people lost their lives in that accident.

 

Air India, formerly state-owned, was acquired by the Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022. It later merged with Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Group and Singapore Airlines, in 2024.

 

Tata confirmed that an emergency centre had been activated and a support team established to assist families seeking information.