Ahmedabad Plane Crash: A tragic incident unfolded on June 12 as an Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad. The aircraft, operating as flight AI171, lost contact with air traffic control shortly after declaring a distress call and went down just beyond the airport perimeter, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Air India confirmed the occurrence on social media, stating, “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025.”
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 https://t.co/Fnw0ywg2Zt and on our X handle (https://t.co/Id1XFe9SfL).
-Air India…
— Air India (@airindia) June 12, 2025
Aircraft went down minutes after departure
The DGCA, India’s aviation watchdog, issued a detailed statement saying that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registered VT-ANB. The flight took off at 1:39 PM IST (08:09 UTC) from Runway 23. Shortly after takeoff, the pilots issued a “MAYDAY” distress call to air traffic control. However, no further communication was received before the plane plummeted to the ground.
“Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the DGCA noted.
242 people were onboard
The DGCA further confirmed that a total of 242 individuals were on board the ill-fated aircraft, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew members. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar.
“Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience,” the DGCA added.
As the nation reels from the shock, authorities are working to determine the cause of the incident. Updates are expected to follow on Air India’s official website and social media channels.
