Air India Flight Crashes After Takeoff in Ahmedabad, Killing All 242 On Board in First-Ever Boeing 787 Crash
- Victor Nwoko
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
A catastrophic air disaster unfolded on Thursday as an Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all 242 people on board. The aircraft, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, slammed into a medical college hostel in the Meghani Nagar area, erupting into flames and scattering wreckage and human remains across the site. Authorities report no known survivors.
The crash occurred around 1:38 p.m. local time, just five minutes after departure. Eyewitnesses described a massive explosion and thick plumes of black smoke rising above the crash site, located in one of India’s most densely populated cities. Officials confirmed that the jet was fully loaded with fuel at the time of impact.
Firefighters, assisted by Indian Army teams, battled to extinguish the flames and searched for survivors among the charred remains of the aircraft and the damaged buildings nearby. Rescue operations extended into the night as local hospitals treated dozens of injured civilians from the hostel. Vice President of the Federation of All India Medical Association, Divyansh Singh, confirmed that at least five students were killed and 50 others were injured, many critically.
The crash marks the first fatal incident involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft's introduction in 2009. Over 1,000 Dreamliners have been delivered to airlines worldwide, and the aircraft is considered a flagship of Boeing’s wide-body fleet. Aviation experts noted early observations suggested the aircraft may have stalled during ascent, with the nose pointed upward but failing to gain altitude — a detail investigators will scrutinize once the flight data recorders are recovered.
Air India confirmed the flight was carrying 242 individuals, including 169 Indians, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian. The aircraft collided with the hostel shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Gujarat, the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Prime Minister Modi called the disaster “heartbreaking beyond words” and expressed condolences to the victims’ families. Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran stated that the airline had activated an emergency response center to assist families. “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event,” he posted on social media.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the incident “devastating,” and U.K. Cabinet Minister Lucy Powell promised full government support to affected families. King Charles III also offered condolences, saying he and Queen Camilla were “desperately shocked” and were praying for those impacted across multiple nations.
The crash prompted comparisons to previous air disasters in India. In 2020, 21 people were killed when an Air India Express Boeing 737 overshot a runway in Kozhikode. The deadliest aviation disaster in Indian history occurred in 1996 when two planes collided midair near Charkhi Dadri, killing 349.
This latest tragedy also places Boeing under renewed scrutiny. The company is still recovering from the fallout of two 737 Max crashes in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people. Boeing shares dropped nearly 9% in early U.S. trading following Thursday’s crash.
The Paris Air Show, scheduled to begin in a few days, was expected to be a moment of positive momentum for the aviation industry. Instead, the Air India tragedy has cast a dark shadow over one of the sector’s most high-profile global events.
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