Over 200 killed as Air India plane crashes after take-off in Ahmedabad

 More than 200 people were killed when an Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from the western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, authorities said, in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade.

The plane came down in a residential area, crashing onto a medical college hostel outside the airport during lunch hour. It was headed for Gatwick Airport, south of the British capital.

City police chief GS Malik told Reuters that 204 bodies had been recovered from the crash site. There were no reports of survivors being found, and the Indian Express newspaper said all 242 on board had perished, citing police.

The majority of the people on board are feared dead, a top official in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation told The Print. Malik similarly said the same to the Associated Press, saying: ““It appears there are no survivors.”

Malik said the bodies recovered could include both passengers and people killed on the ground. Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi said.

“The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel … we have cleared almost 70 per cent to 80pc of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told reporters.

Air India said the Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members, adding that the injured were being taken to the nearest hospitals.

According to The Guardian: “The Air India tragedy in Ahmedabad is the first time a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has crashed.

“While airlines using the Boeing plane have had widespread problems with engines on the 787 plane, leaving many having to ground planes and reduce flights, the 787’s safety record in service has been so far good,” the report by Guardian’s transport correspondent Gwyn Topham added.

Al Jazeera also reported that it was the “first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft”, citing the Aviation Safety Network database.

Air India plane crashes near Ahmedabad; all 242 on board killed

Among 242 on board were 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian

An Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing all 242 people on board, according to Indian media reports.

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people — including 217 adults and 11 children — lost control shortly after departure at 1:39 pm local time and crashed in a densely populated residential area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

The aircraft gave a “Mayday” call moments after take-off, as confirmed by Air Traffic Control, before all communication ceased. The flight, operating under registration number VT-ANB, was scheduled for an international route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft veered off the runway and crashed just beyond the airport perimeter, striking a building identified as a doctor’s hostel. Rescue teams swiftly reached the scene, where black smoke and fire engulfed the area, prompting a large-scale emergency operation.

“We have cleared 70 to 80 percent of the area so far. The building on which the aircraft crashed was mostly evacuated,” a senior police officer told reporters at the site.

Among the 242 on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Several VIPs, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, were reportedly among the passengers, though his condition remains unconfirmed.

Visuals aired by local media showed the aircraft’s debris engulfed in flames and thick plumes of smoke rising above the Meghani Nagar area. Emergency personnel were seen transporting injured victims on stretchers to nearby hospitals.

Air India confirmed the incident in a statement on X (formerly Twitter):

“We are deeply saddened by this tragic accident. Emergency protocols were activated immediately. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. Further updates will be provided.”

Flight tracking platform Flightradar24 noted the aircraft’s signal vanished seconds after take-off, indicating a sudden and catastrophic failure. Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, acknowledged the incident and stated:

“We are aware of reports regarding the Air India flight crash and are working to gather more information.”

Following the incident, all departures and arrivals at Ahmedabad Airport were temporarily suspended.

Modi’s home state

The Indian aviation minister’s office said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed it to ensure all support was extended to the rescue efforts immediately.

Ahmedabad is the main city in Modi’s home state of Gujarat.

Ahmedabad Airport, which suspended all flight operations after the crash, said it was operational again but with limited flights. The airport is operated by India’s Adani Group conglomerate.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by the tragedy of Air India Flight 171,” Gautam Adani, founder and chairman of the group, posted on X.

“Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss. We are working closely with all authorities and extending full support to the families on the ground,” he said.

The last fatal plane crash in India, the world’s third largest aviation market and its fastest growing, was in 2020 and involved Air India Express, the airline’s low-cost arm.

The airline’s Boeing-737 overshot a “table-top” runway at Kozhikode International Airport in southern India. The plane skidded off the runway, plunging into a valley and crashing nose-first into the ground.

Twenty-one people were killed in that crash.

The formerly state-owned Air India was taken over by Indian conglomerate Tata Group in 2022, and merged with Vistara – a joint venture between the group and Singapore Airlines – in 2024.