An Air India passenger jet bound for London crashed shortly after takeoff in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing all 240-plus people on board, according to officials.
The aircraft went down in a densely populated residential area near the city’s airport, sending thick black smoke into the sky. Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat and home to over five million residents, is also the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Firefighters rushed to the scene, dousing the burning wreckage and nearby buildings with water.
The plane, fully fueled for its international journey, left behind a trail of devastation. Charred bodies were visible on the ground, and first responders were seen carrying victims away on stretchers.
“The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating,” said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in a statement.
Indian television channels reported the plane struck the dining hall of a medical college hostel.
Footage showed part of the fuselage lodged atop the building. It was unclear whether any students were inside at the time.
“It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash,” said Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik.
“As the plane has fallen in a residential area which also had offices, some locals would have also died,” he added. “Exact figures on casualties are being ascertained.”
Prime Minister Modi described the incident as “heartbreaking beyond words.In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected,” he said on social media.
Air India confirmed the flight was heading to London Gatwick and carried 242 passengers and crew. Of those, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, director general of civil aviation, said the plane – Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787-8 – crashed into the Meghani Nagar area five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time. He noted a discrepancy in the passenger count, stating 244 were on board, slightly more than the airline’s number.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said emergency teams were dispatched to provide medical assistance and relief at the crash site.
First-Ever Crash Involving a Boeing 787
The incident marks the first-ever crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body, twin-engine aircraft introduced in 2009. Over 1,000 of the planes have been delivered to airlines globally.
Boeing acknowledged the crash and said it was “working to gather more information.”
Aviation consultant John M. Cox, CEO of Safety Operating Systems, told the Associated Press that early images suggested the plane’s nose was up but it wasn’t climbing, which investigators will examine.
“At this point, it’s very, very, very early, we don’t know a whole lot,” Cox said.
“But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring — the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands — so once we get that recorder, they’ll be able to know pretty quickly what happened.”
Airline and Government Respond
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said the airline’s immediate focus was on supporting affected families.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.
He added that a crisis center and a family support team had been activated.
In the UK, Cabinet Minister Lucy Powell told lawmakers that the government would assist families affected both in Britain and India.
“This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many, many families and communities here and those waiting for the arrival of their loved ones,” she said.
“We send our deepest sympathy and thoughts to all those families, and the government will provide all the support that it can with those in India and those in this country as well.”
According to the 2021 UK census, nearly 1.9 million people of Indian descent live in Britain, underscoring the close ties between the two countries.
A Grim History of Crashes
The crash is India’s deadliest air disaster in recent years. In 2020, an Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot a hilltop runway in Kozhikode, killing 21.
The country’s worst aviation tragedy occurred in 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight and a Kazakhstan Airlines jet collided midair, killing 349 people.
This latest crash comes just days ahead of the Paris Air Show, where Boeing and Airbus typically compete for major orders. The U.S. aerospace giant is still dealing with the aftermath of previous tragedies involving the 737 Max.
In 2018, Lion Air Flight 610, a Boeing 737 Max 8, crashed into the Java Sea, killing 189. Five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, also a 737 Max 8, went down shortly after takeoff, killing 157.
Following news of the Ahmedabad crash, shares in Boeing Co. dropped nearly 9% in U.S. premarket trading.
