Lucky seven who failed to board ill-fated flight and lived

Time of India

15-06-2025

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Sometimes, destiny doesn't announce its warnings aloud. It just intervenes through mundane ways: a mother's emotional plea, traffic that refuses to clear or just a gut feeling that something isn't quite right.
For seven passengers meant to board Air India Flight 171 on June 12, these subtle interventions became the difference between life and death.
Yaman Vyas had his return journey to London all planned. The warehouse worker, who holds a UK work permit, was wrapping up a visit to his family in Vadodara after two years abroad. His bags were packed, documents ready and he was not expecting to return to India for at least another year.
But as he prepared to seek his parents' blessings before departure, his mother was overcome with emotion. The thought of another lengthy separation seemed unbearable. "Thhoda divas rokai jaa ne, beta (Just stay back for a few more days, son)," she pleaded, her voice heavy with affection.
His father supported her request. Overwhelmed by his mother's plea, he simply cancelled his flight, no questions asked. "Later that afternoon, when messages about the crash started flooding my mobile, I realised how my mother's instinct had saved my life."
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For Jaimin Patel, 29, and Priya Patel, 25, from Chandlodia in Ahmedabad, the journey to London was meant to be a happy reunion. Their friend Rohit Yadav had invited them for holidays, and they arrived at the airport with visitor visas, all excited about the trip.
At the check-in counter, however, their plans hit a hurdle. The Air India staff informed them that queries had been raised regarding their documentation, which required resolution before boarding passes could be issued.
Jaimin and Priya Patel told the staff that it was impossible to resolve the matter at such short notice and begged to be allowed on the flight. But the staff remained firm, saying they cannot violate the protocol.
After waiting at the airport for an hour in mounting frustration, Jaimin and Priya returned home disappointed. "About an hour later, one of my friends called and just said, 'Switch on the TV right now!' When I saw the news, I was shocked," Jaimin said.
"The flight had crashed. I have never been so grateful to God. I thank the Air India staff for putting their foot down and not letting us board the plane."
Sometimes the heart knows what the mind cannot comprehend. That is exactly what Savji Timbadia, a Nikol resident, experienced. Everything had been arranged for his trip to London, where his son lives and works. He had seat 1-A reserved on AI 171. But early on Thursday morning, Timbadia made an unexpected call to his son, which puzzled both.
"I told my son I did not feel like flying and would postpone my departure until Monday. When he asked about the sudden change of plan, I could only describe a feeling of mental unease. It was not something I could explain."
That afternoon, a friend sent him a message asking him to watch the news on TV. "I got the answer to what made me feel uneasy," he said. "Lord Swaminarayan saved my life."
Another passenger, who had a similarly lucky escape, was Bhoomi Chauhan.
She had every reason to curse Ahmedabad's notorious traffic congestion enroute to the airport. The Bharuch native was to return to her husband in London after her vacation. Taking detours and navigating through traffic jams, when she reached the airport at 12.20pm, she was told that the boarding gates had closed at 12.10pm.
"I pleaded with the staff to let me board the flight, but to no avail," she said. Angry and disappointed, she was returning to Bharuch when she learned about the crash.
"I was shocked and also grateful to the divine for saving me," she said. "I was leaving my son in India. This was nothing but Ganpati Bappa's miracle."
Jayesh Thakkar from Vadodara has business obligations to thank for saving his life. The organizer of one of the biggest garba events in Vadodara, Thakkar was scheduled to be on that ill-fated flight but got delayed in Kolkata due to work.
"I was delayed in Kolkata due to work and realized I would not make it to Ahmedabad in time for the flight.
That is when I decided to change my itinerary," Thakkar said.
Similarly, Ravji Patel decided against flying that day with his son-in-law Arjun Patoliya as he had work to be completed. Arjun was going back to his daughters in London after the post-death rituals of his wife, Bharti, whom he lost to cancer in May.
"He insisted that I go with him and meet my granddaughters, aged 8 and 4. But I had some work to do and told him that I will fly down after a fortnight. He agreed to book the tickets for me," Ravji Patel said, still reeling under the shock of losing two loved ones in 20 days.
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