Latest news with #flightcrash
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Bristol student missed boarding Air India flight due to traffic
A student who was booked on the Air India flight to London Gatwick that crashed on Thursday missed boarding the plane by 10 minutes due to traffic. Bhoomi Chauhan, a Bristol-based business administration student, was on holiday in western India and had booked to travel home on flight AI171. However, the 28-year-old was turned away by airline staff after arriving at Ahmedabad airport less than an hour before the flight was due to depart. The plane crashed into a medical college shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people onboard. A British man, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was the sole survivor. At least five medical students were also killed and about 50 injured, and there are fears the number of people killed on the ground could rise. Chauhan had checked in online and was assigned the economy-class seat 36G. She arrived at the airport at 12.20pm local time, 10 minutes after boarding was scheduled to start. She told the BBC's Gujarati service: 'We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration … I was very disappointed. We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving … we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket. There, I got a call that the plane had gone down.' The student said it was a miracle that she had missed her flight, having been caught in traffic in Ahmedabad city centre after travelling from Ankleshwar, about 120 miles south of Ahmedabad. She said: 'When I missed the flight, I was dejected. [The] only thing that I had in mind was if I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane. I requested airline staff to allow me inside as I am only 10 minutes [late]. I told them that I am the last passenger and so please allow me to board the plane, but they did not allow me.' Investigations are continuing into the cause of the crash. It was one of the worst plane crashes in terms of numbers of British nationals killed – 53 – and the first involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Foreign Office said any British nationals requiring consular assistance or who had concerns about family or friends should call 020 7008 5000.
CBS News
13 hours ago
- CBS News
28-year-old student says she missed Air India flight that crashed due to traffic: "This is totally a miracle for me"
A 28-year-old student who was visiting western India says she missed her Air India flight back to London due to bumper-to-bumper traffic. That flight was AI171, which crashed shortly after takeoff. Bhoomi Chauhan reportedly said airline staff didn't let her complete her check-in at Ahmedabad airport even though she had checked in online. She said she arrived at the airport less than an hour before departure — and 10 minutes after boarding was scheduled to start — after being stuck in Ahmedabad's city center traffic. The business administration student who lives in Bristol, England, remembered being frustrated and disappointed. "We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration," she told BBC Gujarati, a news service by BBC in the Gujarati language. "We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving... we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket," Chauhan said. "There, I got a call that the plane had gone down," she said. "This is totally a miracle for me," she added. CBS News partner BBC News reviewed her digital boarding pass, which showed her assigned to seat 36G. She had traveled to the airport from Ankleshwar, which is about 125 miles from Ahmedabad. "When I missed the flight, I was dejected," she said. "Only thing that I had in mind was, 'If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane.'" The jet carrying 242 people crashed into buildings in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning, a few minutes after taking off, killing everyone on board except a sole survivor. The cause of the crash is not yet known. One of the "black boxes" has been recovered from the wreckage of the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, an Indian aviation official said, marking an important step in the investigation.
BBC News
16 hours ago
- BBC News
Student Bhoomi Chauhan missed Air India flight by just minutes
Bhoomi Chauhan remembers being angry and frustrated. Bumper-to-bumper traffic had delayed her car journey to Ahmedabad airport - so much so that she missed her Air India flight to London Gatwick by just 10 Chauhan, a business administration student who lives in Bristol with her husband, had been visiting western India for a 28-year-old was due to fly home on AI171 on Thursday, which crashed shortly after take-off, killing 241 people on board and more on the after arriving at the airport less than an hour before departure, airline staff turned her away."We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration," she recalls. "I was very disappointed."We left the airport and stood at a place to drink tea and after a while, before leaving... we were talking to the travel agent about how to get a refund for the ticket. "There, I got a call that the plane had gone down."Speaking to the BBC's Gujrati service, she adds: "This is totally a miracle for me." Live updates: Grieving Air India crash families wait for answers as investigators search wreckageBBC Verify on what could have caused the crashEverything we know so far about flight AI171As details continue to emerge, who are the victims?Analysis: What does this mean for Boeing? Ms Chauhan says she arrived at the airport at 12:20 PM local time, 10 minutes after boarding was due to digital boarding pass, seen by BBC News, shows her assigned to economy class seat despite having checked in online, she says airline staff would not allow her to complete the process at the had travelled from Ankleshwar - 201km (125 miles) south of Ahmedabad - before being held up in Ahmedabad's city centre Chauhan says: "When I missed the flight, I was dejected. Only thing that I had in mind was, 'If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane'."I requested airline staff to allow me inside as I am only 10 minutes [late]. I told them that I am the last passenger and so please allow me to board the plane, but they did not allow me." The Gatwick flight took off as scheduled on Thursday afternoon, but appeared to struggle to gain altitude and crashed about 30 seconds into the plane hit a residential area, killing 241 passengers and 12 crew members. At least eight people on the ground are so far known to have died. One passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the crash and was treated in hospital for Portuguese and Canadian nationals were also on the 53 Britons to have been killed were a family who lived in Gloucester, three members of the same family who lived in London, and a married couple who ran a spiritual wellness centre in the services and officials worked late into Thursday night and into Friday to clear debris and search for reporting by Sajid Patel
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
This Morning pay tribute to guest who died in Air India crash
This Morning has paid emotional tribute to a guest who died on Air India flight 171. Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, who ran a spiritual wellness centre, and his husband Jamie were both onboard the flight which crashed in western India yesterday (12 June). This Morning host Dermot O'Leary said: 'Fiongal appeared on this morning twice this year. We loved his energy that he brought to the studio.' The couple had posted videos online about their flight just before boarding at Ahmedabad Airport.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- Business
- The Independent
Couple's heartbreaking final message before Air India tragedy
Jamie Ray Greenlaw-Meek and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, who ran a spiritual wellness company in London, were among 52 British nationals who died when an Air India flight crashed in Gujarat. The couple posted a video from the airport about their 'magical experience' in India as they waited to board the Air India flight, which went down shortly after take-off, killing all but one of the 242 people on board. In a video shared on Instagram, Fiongal promised to share a vlog of their 'mind blowing things', while Jamie mentioned enjoying a delicious Thali meal. Nick Meek, Jamie Meek's brother, said his mother was distraught upon hearing the news of the crash. The Wellness Foundry, located in Vauxhall, offers tarot and psychic readings, and had partnered with major brands like Netflix, Google, and Dior.
