NEWS STORY : Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Crashes Shortly After Takeoff from Ahmedabad En Route to Gatwick

STORY

An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick tragically crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar just five minutes after takeoff at 13:38 local time. Thick plumes of black smoke were captured on nearby CCTV and by witnesses, prompting an immediate emergency response. Flight AI171 carried 232 passengers and 12 crew members, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese and one Canadian onboard, according to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Gates at nearby hospitals were thrown open as ambulances raced victims to medical centres, while local fire services battled to extinguish the blaze.

Gatwick Airport confirmed via social media that the London-bound aircraft had indeed crashed on departure, and that the flight was originally scheduled to arrive at 18:25. BST. India’s Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said officials were “on highest alert” and were coordinating rescue and relief efforts on the ground. Investigators from the DGCA and Boeing representatives are en route to Ahmedabad to begin examining the wreckage and flight data recorders. While the precise cause of the accident remains uncertain, FlightRadar24 data shows the jet reached an altitude of only 625 feet before the signal was lost. This marks the first ever crash of a Boeing 787 series aircraft in its 16 years of operation, a milestone that will almost certainly intensify scrutiny of the ultra-long-haul jet.

Air India’s chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, expressed “deepest condolences” to those affected and has established an emergency response centre for families seeking information. As Ahmedabad’s emergency services continue the search for survivors, both Indian and British authorities are coordinating consular support. Updates are expected throughout the evening as flight investigators piece together the final moments before the catastrophe.