CNN
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The Air India plane heading for London, carrying 242 people, crashed shortly after taking off in western India on Thursday.
The video showed a huge plume of black smoke swirling through the sky. Rescuers scrambled to put out the fire and search for potential survivors.
This is what we know.
What happened?
According to a statement from India’s Civil Aviation Director, flight, AI171, took off from Sardarvarabai-Bai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, western India, at 1:39 PM local time (4:09 AM). We are heading for London Gatwick and will land at 6:25pm local time (1:25pm ET).
However, shortly after takeoff, the plane made a Mayday call to Air Traffic Control (ATC), Indian civil aviation authorities said.
“Then, the aircraft was sent from the ATC. There was no response from the aircraft to a call that took place immediately after departure from Runway 23.
According to data from the flight tracker Flightradar24, the plane had reached an altitude of 625 feet when the signal was lost.
The video shows the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner descending, disappearing behind the building and explodes into a fireball.
Gujarat is also home to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi was the state’s prime minister from 2001 to 2014.
The plane crashes into the hostel for a doctor when it crashes, indicating that the plane’s tail is protruding out of the building. On the streets scattered across the wreckage below, rescuers rushed out the flames and searched through the burnt wreckage for the survivors.
According to the aircraft manufacturer, the crash was the first major incident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft first served in 2011.
Boeing said it was “working to gather more information” about the crash.
The manufacturer said it has over 1,175 Dreamliner passenger aircraft on duty, accounting for 2,100 flights per day.
Aviation analyst Jeffrey Thomas told CNN that Boeing “celebrated a billion passengers” with the 787 Dreamliner.
Boeing’s shares tanked more than 7% in pre-market trade on Thursday after one of the Indian passenger aircraft crashed.
Stocks in many other airlines have also collapsed, including London-listed IAG, the parent company of British Airways. Stocks of Germany’s Lufthansa, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines also fell on Thursday.
Air India said 169 Indian nationals were on the flight, along with 53 British people, seven Portuguese and one Canadian.
Britain and India have strong cultural connections and complex histories dating back to British colonial times. The UK has a large diaspora of around 1.9 million people, or 3.1% of its population, in the UK, according to the latest census data for 2021.
Ahmedabad Police Chief told Associated Press that there appear to be no survivors from the crash.
Modi said the crash was “more than words and heartbreaking” and touched on authorities involved in the disaster. British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer called the scene “devastating.”
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said Career “does everything in our power to support the emergency response team on-site and provide all the support and care needed to those affected.”
If death tolls are confirmed, the crash is the most deadly thing in the world since 2014, when Malaysia Airlines jets fired down eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board.
Air India was acquired by the Indian multinational conglomerate TATA Group in 2022 and was widely considered a historic homecoming. Originally founded by JRD TATA in 1932, before it was nationalised in 1953, the contract showed that after nearly 70 years of government control, it had returned to the original owner of Air India.
Prior to the purchase, Air India was considered a struggling debt-filled airline. His career has seen several rare but notable plane crashes in recent years.
In 2020, at least 18 people died in 2020 after a crash in southern Kerala after an Air India Express plane (a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India) slipped off the runway.
In 2018, an Air India Boeing 737 was damaged after hitting an airport wall during takeoff.
And in 2010, 158 people died after an Air India plane crashed after a jet overshots a runway in southern India.
These incidents have been spurred by Indian authorities to improve safety and infrastructure, but challenges, including airspace congestion, remain.
Since its acquisition of Air India in 2022, the airline has undergone major transformation and modernization efforts as it seeks to capitalize on the demands of India’s fast-growing middle class.