Ahmedabad plane crash first ever for Boeing 787 Dreamliner: Sources
The crash of an Air India plane with 242 people on board on Thursday was the first ever for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to AFP.
The London-bound passenger plane that went down in India's western city of Ahmedabad is a long-haul aircraft that has been in operation since 2011 and can carry between 248 and 330 people.
US planemaker Boeing said Thursday they were in touch with Air India about the crash of the London-bound flight.
We are 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. pic.twitter.com/kYrdKyvl7z
— Boeing Airplanes (@BoeingAirplanes) June 12, 2025
Pride of the company
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is the pride of the US company's catalogue for long-distance planes: a fuel-efficient, wide-body aircraft able to transport up to 330 people.
After first entering service in October 2011, with Japan's All Nippon Airways, 2,598 of the planes have been ordered by more than 80 airlines around the world, with 889 still awaiting delivery.
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Three versions
There are currently three versions of the 787: the 787-8, which can carry up to 248 passengers over distances up to 13,530 kilometres (8,400 miles); the 787-9, carrying up to 296 passengers up to 14,010 kilometres; and the 787-10, with up to 330 passengers, up to 11,910 kilometres.
The one that went down in Ahmedabad, India on Thursday was the 787-8 version, carrying 242 passengers and crew. It was scheduled to fly to London, but crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city.
Boeing setbacks
Boeing's programme for the plane had suffered several setbacks, including repeated and costly delivery suspensions between 2021 and 2023, mainly due to assembly faults and manufacturing quality issues.
The US Federal Aviation Administration ended up reinforcing quality assurance checks and inspections on the production lines.
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