Air India Flight 171 Crashes With 242 On Board [Video]

Air India Flight 171 has crashed with 242 on board.

Newsone Nigeria reports that the Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad in India, carrying at least 242 people, local authorities say.

Authorities in London confirmed that the plane was due to land at the city’s Gatwick Airport at 6:25 pm local time (17:25 GMT). ANI news agency reports that at least 90 emergency response workers are currently deployed at the site of the crash.

The head of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that Air India flight 171, a Boeing 787, crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1:38 pm local time.

Emergency teams have been activated at the airport, Kidwai said.

Visuals on local television channels showed smoke billowing from the crash site near the airport in Ahmedabad.

London’s Gatwick Airport confirmed that the plane that crashed near Ahmedabad was due to land at the airport at 18.25 local time.

The 787 Dreamliner is a widebody, twin-engined plane. This is the first crash ever of a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.

The airline confirms in a statement on X that the downed plane carried 242 passengers and crew members.

“Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals”, Air India said.

India’s Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu says he is “shocked and devastated” to learn about the crash of Flight 171.

“We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” Kinjarapu said on X.

“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” he added.

An aviation analyst, Alex Macheras, says the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner involved in today’s crash is known for its impeccable reputation in terms of safety.

“The 787 has been in service for 15 years – this is a mid to long-haul passenger aircraft, one of the latest from Boeing in terms of the development and the introduction of carbon-fibre aircraft,” Macheras told Al Jazeera.

“It provides airlines with immense efficiency but also with the promise of stellar safety record that the 787 has. In fact, in its 15 years of commercial service globally, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner has never been involved in a crash or a whole loss or a fatal accident,” Macheras said.

“So combined, it’s an aircraft that the industry knows is of the highest standards in terms of meeting safety regulations globally, across different markets but also one that is trusted and essentially a workhorse of the skies when it comes to long-haul travel”.

The United Kingdom pledged support as 53 British nationals among passengers: “Britain is working with Indian authorities to urgently establish the facts around the Air India plane crash and to provide support to those involved”, the country’s Foreign Office said in a statement posted on its website.

According to Air India, 53 British nationals were on board flight AI171, among the 242 passengers and crew.

Watch the Air India crash video below…

Air India’s Boeing 787-8 struggles to gain altitude shortly after departing Ahmedabad bound for London. It seems to stall and crashes into a residential area. The plane, a Boeing 788 was never involved in a fatal crash until today. pic.twitter.com/ppnLTpirQu

— Josh Cahill (@gotravelyourway) June 12, 2025

Video after the crash

Tragic beyond words — The Air India crash site was a medical college hostel housing over 50 junior doctors.

We’ve lost not just passengers, but young healers of tomorrow. 💔😞

Prayers for all the lives lost.🙏🏻#planecrash एयर इंडिया pic.twitter.com/6En4xZ7p1e

— Hinduism_and_Science (@Hinduism_sci) June 12, 2025