An Air India flight headed for London crashed shortly after takeoff on Wednesday morning at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India.
The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating as Flight AI171, was en route to Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. According to data from aviation tracking service FlightRadar24, the plane departed at 9:50 a.m. local time but lost signal just 18 minutes later at an altitude of 625 feet, less than a minute after it became airborne.
Indian media reported that over 100 passengers were aboard at the time of the crash. Authorities have not confirmed the number of casualties, and details about the injured or fatalities remain unknown.
Thick plumes of black smoke rose over the Meghaninagar area near the airport, drawing immediate response from emergency services. Footage circulating on social media and local television showed scenes of panic and fire crews racing toward the wreckage.
Ahmedabad police commissioner GS Malik confirmed to the Press Trust of India that a plane had gone down in the vicinity of the airport, although at the time of his statement, the model of the aircraft had not been verified.
Air India, through a brief message posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, acknowledged that the aircraft was involved in an “incident” and said further updates would follow once more information was confirmed.
Gatwick Airport also released a statement confirming that Flight AI171 had crashed on departure from Ahmedabad. The flight had been scheduled to land in London at 6:25 p.m. local time.
Investigations are underway to determine the cause of the crash.
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