Air India plane heads to crash in London at Ahmedabad Airport
Police said the Air India plane, which has 242 people on board, crashed a few minutes after 242 people took off from Ahmedabad, India.
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LONDON – A London-bound Air India passenger plane with more than 200 people on board crashed shortly after taking off from the airport in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, the airline and police officers said on June 12.
It was not immediately clear whether there had been any deaths. It appeared that rescue operations were ongoing.
The plane headed to London’s Gatwick Airport, Air India said. According to a police statement, the crash was dropped in a private area near the airport. Early reports suggest that the plane may have come down to the hostel’s residential doctor. “We are looking at the details and will share further updates,” Air India said in a statement.
Local media said the crash occurred while the aircraft was taking off from Ahmedabad Airport, about 600 miles southwest of New Delhi’s capital. The visuals on the TV showed people being driven by stretchers and taken away by ambulances. Thick black smoke rose into the sky near the airport.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft carried 242 passengers and crew. Air India said 169 people were Indian nationals. 53 was British. The seven were Portuguese. And one was Canadian.
No Americans were reported on board.
Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner Air India Airplane crashes
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was “stricken and saddened” by the crash. British King Charles and British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer issued a statement saying they were being updated.
Air India Flight 171 was run by the 11.5-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, according to industry website Airfleets.net. The plane was in the Air India Fleet after leaving the production line.
This is the first hull loss in history that involves a Boeing 787 since he enrolled in the service in 2011. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who reportedly had 8,200 hours of flight experience. According to today’s local news outlet business, co-pilot Clive Kunder recorded a flight time of 1,100 hours.
Flightradar24 data shows that the aircraft identified as the VT-ANB flew from New Delhi to Ahmedabad earlier in the day. The plane last signalled to the airport authorities when the airport was 625 feet.
This is a developing story and will be updated.