• Prime Highlights:Air India Flight AI171 crashed just minutes after departure from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, London.
• 242 passengers and crew members were on board; rescue operations are in progress with several emergency squads.
• Key Facts:The crashed aircraft was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the first one to be lost since it began operation in 2011.
• Among the passengers were Indian, British, Portuguese, and Canadian nationals.

Key Background

Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, was on its way to London Gatwick on 12 June 2025 when it crashed in a tragedy just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight carrying 230 people and 12 crew members crashed minutes after takeoff and disappeared from radar with air traffic control before crashing in the Meghani Nagar suburb.

Witnesses have said to have seen huge explosions and plumes of black smoke billowing into the air just a few seconds after the plane vanished from radar. The aircraft had just reached an altitude of 625 feet when it is approximated to have met with a fatal malfunction or structural collapse that crashed it to the ground. The area where the aircraft crashed has been cordoned off as rescue efforts and relief continue.

There was prompt relief. Airport rescue and fire services and NDRF personnel were stationed forthwith. Ambulances were hurried to the site to take injured passengers to hospital units in and around the airport. All airport operations were sealed by the authorities, and Air India issued a statement stating that its command centre stood ready for instant emergency support to the families of the passengers.

Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, who had over 8,000 hours of flying time, was piloting the plane. The aircraft carried the full tank of fuel for the overseas journey, and this could have intensified the fire post-accident.

The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out a thorough investigation with the help of the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The cause has not been determined yet, but technical faults are being suspected. It is the first in the entire history of commerce fatal hull loss of Boeing 787, which indicates how rare and uncommon conditions it had.