The grave aircraft disaster that shook India today, Thursday June 12, 2025, increasingly assumes the contours of a catastrophe, when an Air India B-787 Dreamliner operating flight AI171 bound for London-Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad's "Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel" International Airport (see AVIONEWS). The airplane, carrying 242 people including passengers and crewmembers, crashed into the residential area of Meghani Nagar, causing a large fire and a wave of panic.

According to initial reconstructions, the Boeing -787/8, registration VT-ANB, lost radar contact at an altitude of just 625 feet, less than a minute after takeoff which occurred around 13:39 IST (08:09 UTC). Authorities confirmed that the pilots issued a “Mayday” shortly before the crash, with no further communication to air traffic control. The presence of the “Mayday” indicates a critical emergency on board, and although investigations are only beginning, a possible technical failure is hypothesized as the cause, along with other scenarios such as engine thrust loss, lift failure, or a bird-strike (collision with birds).

On board the flight were 230 passengers and 12 crewmembers, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian. Among them was the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, Vijay Rupani. The fuel load for the long intercontinental route in the aircraft’s tanks fueled an intense blaze after impact, greatly complicating rescue operations. This tragic event marks the first fatal accident involving a B-787/8 Dreamliner since its debut in 2011.

Immediately after the accident, extensive rescue resources were mobilized, including firefighters, ambulances, and disaster response units. Six teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), totaling 90 operators, were deployed on site, with additional teams en route from Vadodara. Local authorities temporarily suspended all flight operations at Ahmedabad airport, and Indian Railways announced the deployment of Vande Bharat trains to assist stranded passengers.

The Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, and the Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patel, are personally coordinating rescue operations. The Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, expressed profound sorrow over the event, assuring full commitment from all aeronautical and emergency agencies. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched a formal and thorough investigation, dispatching a team of investigators from Delhi supported by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). Air India, through its chairman N. Chandrasekaran, has expressed deepest condolences to the victims' families and activated a dedicated hotline for passengers to provide information. The exact death toll has not yet been confirmed, while recovery and assistance operations for the injured continue. Victims or injuries on the ground are also being considered. 

Below, images of the crash, credit "The Indian Express":