Air India flight to London Gatwick crashes in Ahmedabad with over 240 people onboard – latest updates | India
Flight AI171 included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portugese and one Canadian
Air India has said that the passengers on its flight AI171 included 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
In a statement on X, Air India said:
Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take off.
The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, one Canadian national and seven Portuguese nationals.
The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals. We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.
Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.
Key events
The UK government will provide “all the support that it can” to those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed shortly after take off, House of Commons leader Lucy Powell said.
According to the PA news agency, speaking in the Commons, Powell said:
The thoughts of the whole House and the government will be with the families of those traveling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London, Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed.
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.
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.
Air India say 53 British nationals on board crashed flight
Fifty three British nationals were on board an Air India flight bound for Gatwick airport which crashed after take off in Ahmedabad, Air India said.
The UK Foreign Office has said that the UK is working with local authorities in India to “urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved”.
Ahmedabad airport not currently operational and all flights suspended, says spokesperson
A spokesperson for India’s Ahmedabad airport has told the news wires that the airport is not currently operational and all flight operations have been temporarily suspended.
Video footage circulating on social media purports to show the Air India flight AI171 crash:
Footage circulating on social media purports to show Indian Air plane crash – video
Here are a couple of images coming in via the newswires:
Smoke rises after an aircraft crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, India, on Thursday. Photograph: Mohan Nakum/AP
Thick plumes of smoke are seen after Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
Gatwick airport posted on X that it could confirm the Air India flight AI171, which had been due to arrive at 6.25pm in London, had crashed on departure from Ahmedabad airport. It added that more information would follow.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press (AP) that Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787, was carying 232 passengers and 12 crew members.
Air India confirmed that its flight 171 from the western city of Ahmedabad to London Gatwick had crashed in a “tragic accident”.
“With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today,” Air India chair Natarajan Chandrasekaran said in a statement, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” he said, adding that an emergency centre has been activated and a support team set up for families seeking information.
Firefighters work at the site of an aircraft that crashed in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, on Thursday. Photograph: Ajit Solanki/AP
Hannah Ellis-Petersen
The London-bound flight took off from Ahmedabad at about 1.47 pm, slightly delayed from schedule. Officials say it crashed nine minutes after being given clearance for take off.
India’s directorate general of civil aviation just gave this statement to Indian media:
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8,200 hours of experience. The co-pilot had 1100 hours of flying experience.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a mayday call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC.
Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site.
Flight tracker website, Flightradar24, has shared that initial ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance broadcast) data from the Air India flight AI171 shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet). It then started to descend with a vertical speed of -475 feet per minute, it adds.
Initial ADS-B data from flight #AI171 shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet) and then it started to descend with an vertical speed of -475 feet per minute. pic.twitter.com/29szCqRcgR
India’s aviation minister has said he is “shocked and devastated” at the flight crash in Ahmedabad. “We are on the highest alert,” he added, with rescue teams mobilised.
According to Reuters, the Indian aviation regulator said that the Air India aircraft fell after depature on ground outside the airport perimeter.
Although there has not been an official number given of the number of passengers and crew on board the Air India flight AI171 yet, the Indian news agency Asian News International (ANI) and Reuters have cited a police source as saying that there are at least 242 passengers on board.
The Guardian has been unable to independently verify the report.
Air India flight AI171 involved in 'incident', says airline
Air India have released a statement, reading:
Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on http://airindia.com and on our X handle (https://x.com/airindia).
Air India flight to UK crashes in Ahmedabad in India shortly after take off
An aircraft has crashed in India’s western city of Ahmedabad, fire service officials have told Agence France-Presse (AFP), without giving immediate details of the plane or any toll.
Thick plumes of black smoke were seen over the airport, an AFP reporter said.
The Times of India reports that an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, bound for London, crashed shortly after take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel international airport. According to its report, the aircraft plunged into the Meghani area of the city, triggering an immediate emergency response.
This is a breaking news story and we will bring you updates as they come in.
We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London. We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after take off.
