India

Air India London-Bound Dreamliner Crashes After Takeoff From Ahmedabad, 242 Onboard

Fireball Engulfs Residential Zone Minutes After Takeoff; Aviation Minister on Ground, PM Modi Heads to Crash Site

Ahmedabad, June 12: There was no warning. Just a heavy thud in the sky, a streak of fire, and then the earth-shaking impact that followed. Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, crashed near Meghani Nagar, barely a few minutes after lifting off from Ahmedabad airport around 1:15 PM. The aircraft was headed for London Gatwick with 242 people onboard, including its crew.

Flames, Screams, and Sheet Metal

“I saw it go down sideways,” said Nilesh Thakore, who had stepped out to buy paan when he heard the strange screech. “It was too low. I thought maybe it was turning back. But then there was this burst of fire in the sky… it just dropped.”

What he—and dozens of others—witnessed was a rare and tragic failure. The aircraft didn’t make it past 825 feet. The fall was abrupt. The impact shook walls as far as 500 metres away.

Flaming pieces of the fuselage tore into rooftops. Glass shattered across lanes. The air turned thick and black, and for a few minutes, it was hard to breathe in the entire area.

Locals Moved Before Fire Crews Did

People didn’t wait. Before official rescue units reached the spot, neighbours were already inside the smoke. They broke open doors, pulled people out of burning homes, used buckets, towels, whatever they could grab. “There was no time to think,” said Afzalbhai, who owns a tyre shop near the junction where part of the plane’s wing hit.

Once fire tenders arrived, the streets were blocked. Ambulances, police, and NDRF teams poured in. Many victims—both passengers and locals—were rushed to Civil Hospital, where the trauma ward had already been cleared.

Minister Lands, PM on His Way

Union Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has landed in Ahmedabad and immediately went to the state control room to coordinate rescue logistics. He was seen speaking with senior airport officials and DGCA staff.

Sources in PMO have confirmed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also en route to Ahmedabad. His schedule has been cleared. He is expected to visit both the crash site and the hospital later in the evening. Senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Home Ministry are now camped in Gandhinagar for direct coordination.

“Mayday” Was Sent — But Too Late

There was a Mayday call, confirmed by air traffic control. But it came too close to the final moment. The plane had already lost height by then. What caused it—mechanical? electronic? human?—no one’s saying yet.

The DGCA has started its inquiry. The black box and cockpit voice recorder are being dug out by crash investigators. It could take hours. Maybe days.

Aircraft Was Not New, But Not Faulty Either

The Boeing 787 involved here, registered as VT-ANC, had been flying since 2012. It wasn’t new, no, but it wasn’t flagged for any serious issues either. Recent maintenance reports were clean. It had flown international routes just last week.

This is also the first known fatal crash involving a Dreamliner in India. And that’s likely to set off alarms not just at Boeing HQ, but among regulators in the UK, Europe, and Washington.

Families Crowd Terminals, Helplines Ring Constantly

At Ahmedabad airport, chaos unfolded as relatives of passengers began to gather. Most heard about the crash via mobile alerts or forwarded news videos. “My brother was going to London for a business trip,” said one man at the terminal help desk, visibly trembling. “They said they’ll confirm names soon. They haven’t yet.”

Air India has opened helplines and staffed emergency response teams in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and London. Passengers’ family members are being offered transport to hospitals and shelters.

No Clarity Yet, Just Grief

So far, no confirmed death count has been released. Officials say bodies are being identified. Rescue work is still going on. For now, investigators and emergency workers continue to pull apart the wreckage — and families wait, clinging to any thread of news.


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Author Profile
Juneja

Ravi Juneja is a student journalist currently pursuing his degree from Makhanlal Chaturvedi National University of Journalism and Communication. With a passion for factual reporting and public interest stories, he covers a wide spectrum of news at Hindustan Herald, including politics, health, technology, entertainment, and global affairs. Ravi is committed to delivering balanced, research-backed journalism with a strong sense of responsibility and independence.

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