Air India plane crashes in Ahmedabad; Boeing 787-8 with 242 people on board slams into buildings

CBS News

2 days ago

An Air India passenger plane carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, soon after departing for London's Gatwick airport, the airline and officials said. A police official told The Associated Press there were no known survivors from the plane, and there were also likely casualties on the ground as the aircraft careened into buildings.
"Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off," Air India said in a statement posted on social media.
The airline said that the plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, departed at 1:38 p.m. local time carrying 242 people.
"Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals. The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals," Air India said.
Later on Thursday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said a "a special team of caregivers" from Air India was on its way to Ahmedabad to provide additional support.
"Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now, we are doing," Wilson said. "We understand that people are eager for information. Please know that we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can, but anything we report must be accurate and not speculative. We owe that to everyone involved. For now, our teams are working around the clock to support passengers, crew and their families - as well as investigators - however we can."
Firefighters work at the site of an Air India plane crash, in India's northwest city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state, June 12, 2025.
Ajit Solanki /AP
Gatwick Airport confirmed in a statement that flight AI171 had "crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today." The airport said the plane had been due to land at Gatwick, which is just south of London, at 6:25 p.m. local time (1:25 p.m. Eastern).
"It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash," the AP quoted Ahmedabad Police Commissioner G.S. Malik as saying. "As the plane has fallen in a residential area which also had offices, some locals would have also died."
He told the AP that the "exact figures on casualties" were still being determined.
A spokesperson for Boeing told CBS News the company was "in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected." The incident appears to be the first of its kind for the Dreamliner, according to Boeing's April 2025 statistical summary of incidents involving its aircraft.
The National Transportation Safety Board said it would "be leading a team of U.S. investigators traveling to India to assist the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau with its investigation into the crash."
The Federal Aviation Administration said that "when an international incident occurs, that government leads the investigation. In the event assistance is requested, the NTSB is the official U.S. representative and the FAA provides technical support. We stand ready to launch a team immediately in coordination with the NTSB."
Unverified video shared online by Indian network NDTV purportedly shows the passenger jet flying low over buildings before disappearing behind them. There is then a large explosion. In the unverified video, no fire or explosion can be seen on the aircraft before it disappears. Local media reported the plane had crashed into a building housing medical students.
The head of India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, told The Associated Press that flight AI171 crashed five minutes after taking off. Live flight tracking website Flight Radar said a final signal was received from Flight AI171 just seconds after it took off. The flight path on Flight Radar showed the aircraft traveling southwest from the airport a short distance before the path stopped, and the site said initial data showed the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet before it started to descend.
"At this point, it's very, very, very early, we don't know a whole lot," Aviation consultant John M. Cox told the AP. "But the 787 has very extensive flight data monitoring - the parameters on the flight data recorder are in the thousands - so once we get that recorder, they'll be able to know pretty quickly what happened."
India's Minister of Civil Aviation Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said in a statement posted on social media that he was "shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad."
Firefighters work at the scene of a plane crash in India's northwestern city of Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state, June12, 2025. Air India confirmed that an Ahmedabad to London flight was involved in "an incident."
Ajit Solanki/AP
Kinjarapu said officials were "on highest alert" and that he was "personally monitoring this situation" and had "directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action."
"Rescue teams have been mobilized, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site," Kinjarapu said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said "the tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected."
"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said in a statement.