London-Bound Air India Flight Crashes After Take-Off from Ahmedabad with 242 Onboard
An Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday with 242 people onboard. Officials confirmed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down in a residential area called Meghani Nagar, sending thick plumes of smoke into the sky. According to Flightradar24, the last signal from the aircraft was received less than a minute after take-off at 1:38pm local time.
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai from India’s Directorate of Civil Aviation said the flight was carrying 169 Indian nationals, 53 British, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Video from the scene shows debris on fire, with rescue teams rushing the injured to nearby hospitals. India’s Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu called the crash “shocking and devastating” and confirmed emergency response agencies are working on the ground.
Air India has stated that it is still “ascertaining the details,” and Tata Group, which owns the airline, has not issued a comment yet. This marks the first crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in its 14-year service history. Ahmedabad Airport has suspended all flights until further notice.
