Ahmedabad, June 12 — In a tragic turn of events, an Air India flight en route to London Gatwick crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, claiming several lives and sending shockwaves across the country.
Air India Takeoff Crash 🆘✈️
Air India flight AI171 with 242 passengers crashed near Ahmedabad airport during takeoff.
Praying for everyone 🙏🏻#planecrash pic.twitter.com/C7r3TNS2sZ
— هارون خان (@iamharunkhan) June 12, 2025
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, operating as Flight AI171, departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:39 PM IST (0809 UTC) and was bound for London. It crashed roughly five minutes after takeoff in the Meghani Nagar residential area, not far from the airport boundary.
The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. Authorities have yet to confirm the number of casualties, but visuals from the crash site show thick black smoke billowing from the wreckage, with emergency teams rushing to the scene.
The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a seasoned pilot with over 8,200 flight hours. He was accompanied by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 hours of flying experience. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the pilots made a MAYDAY call shortly after departure, but all communication was lost soon after.
“On 12th June 2025, M/s Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Immediately after departure from Runway 23, the Aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” said a source in the DGCA.
Air India acknowledged the crash in a public post, stating, “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 http://airindia.com and on our X handle.”
Local authorities, firefighters, and rescue teams are currently on-site. An investigation into the cause of the crash has been initiated, with DGCA and aviation experts expected to lead the probe.
This marks one of the most serious aviation incidents in recent years for the national carrier. Families of those onboard have been asked to contact Air India’s helpline for further information. More updates are expected as authorities assess the extent of damage and work to confirm details of survivors, if any.
