An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people. Flight AI171, carrying 242 passengers and crew, plummeted into a residential area, triggering a massive fireball and extending a grim year for the civil aviation industry.
Police Commissioner G.S. Malik confirmed a devastating scene. “We have found 204 bodies, we are looking for more bodies,” Malik told Bloomberg. While rescue operations are frantically underway, the commissioner noted a slim chance of survivors, adding, “41 injured are being treated. These include people who were staying in the residential area,” indicating casualties beyond those on board.
The ill-fated twin-engine jet, registered VT-ANB and nearly 12 years old, departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Ahmedabad) at 1:39 p.m. local time from runway 23. According to India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots – Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (8,200 flying hours) and First Officer Clive Kundar (1,100 flying hours) – issued a mayday call immediately after takeoff. Disturbingly, there was no subsequent response from the cockpit to calls from ground controllers.
Flightradar24 data indicates the aircraft reached an altitude of just 625 feet (190.5 meters) at a speed of 174 knots (approximately 200 miles per hour) before entering a slow descent with its landing gear still extended. Video footage shared on social media, though unverified, showed a giant plume of smoke engulfing the crash site, with other images from the scene depicting emergency responders sifting through piles of rubble and carrying victims’ bodies. The crash into a residential zone has raised fears of an even higher death toll.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed profound sorrow, stating the accident was “heartbreaking beyond words” and confirming coordination with ministers and authorities on salvage operations.
Boeing Co., the aircraft’s manufacturer, saw its shares fall as much as 8.7% in premarket U.S. trading, reflecting the severity of the incident involving its “most advanced in-service aircraft.” The company released a statement acknowledging initial reports and committing to gather more information. GE Aerospace, manufacturers of the plane’s GEnx engines, also issued condolences and activated an emergency response team to support the investigation.
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The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in contact with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with both agencies standing ready to assist the Indian investigation, a standard procedure for crashes involving American-built aircraft. Air safety incidents are typically caused by a confluence of factors, and a comprehensive probe will likely unfold over weeks and months.
The crash is a devastating blow for Air India, which is in the midst of a strategic turnaround. The airline recently placed a massive 470-plane order to refresh its aging fleet and capitalize on India’s burgeoning middle-class demand. Air India operates 34 Boeing 787 aircraft, with ages ranging from 2 to nearly 14 years.
This incident marks the worst commercial airline crash since MH17 in 2014, which claimed 298 lives. For Air India, it is the most catastrophic event since Flight 182 in 1985, when a bomb destroyed a Boeing 747 over the Atlantic, killing all 329 on board.
For Boeing, the accident compounds a challenging period. The company has faced intense scrutiny following two fatal 737 MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019 (Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302), and a recent incident in early 2025 where a 737 MAX lost a door panel mid-flight.
The tragedy casts a somber shadow over the aviation industry’s most important annual conclave, the Paris Air Show, set to begin in days. The event, usually dominated by blockbuster jet orders, was already facing headwinds from global trade tensions.
Among the 242 individuals onboard Flight AI171, Air India has confirmed 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, 1 Canadian, and 7 Portuguese. The injured survivors are being transported to nearby hospitals. All flights from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad have been suspended. The aircraft was due to land at London Gatwick, the UK capital’s second-largest airport, at 6:25 pm local time.