An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANB), operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed just minutes after takeoff on June 12, 2025. The aircraft, carrying 242 people including 230 passengers and 12 crew, went down in the densely populated Meghani Nagar area near the airport at 1:39 PM. The plane reportedly lost altitude shortly after liftoff and exploded into a massive fireball, triggering panic and chaos on the ground.
Mayday issued, airport shut temporarily
At least 30 fatalities have been confirmed, with several others injured and rushed to nearby hospitals. The aircraft was piloted by Capt. Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, who issued a Mayday call moments before impact, according to DGCA.
Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on https://t.co/Fnw0ywg2Zt and on our X handle (https://t.co/Id1XFe9SfL).
-Air India…
— Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025
Emergency services, including over two dozen ambulances, rushed to the scene. Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel are monitoring the situation, with central assistance assured. Air India and the Ministry of Civil Aviation have activated support teams, while the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has launched a full probe into the incident.
Flight operations at Ahmedabad airport have been temporarily suspended.
