An Air India flight with more than 240 people on board has crashed seconds after take-off after it reached an altitude of 625 feet in Ahmedabad, India.
A Boeing Dreamliner 787 plane crashed into a residential area and it is believed the plane crashed into a high story building and Air India has confirmed there was 53 British nationals on board.
Footage shows what appears to be an apartment building on fire and there is thick black smoke rising into the sky at the airport.
Aviation expert Julian Bray said the plane is state of the art and it is the first ever recorded crash of the Boeing 787.
Bray told Sky News whilst it is “pure speculation” he says “security” around the flight must be looked into.
🚨BREAKING NEWS: A PLANE BOUND FOR LONDON, GATWICK HAS CRASHED
– Air India Flight 171 (AI171) was carrying 242 passengers and crew.
Absolutely horrifying 🙏 pic.twitter.com/7Bp0KzJG26
— Basil the Great (@Basil_TGMD) June 12, 2025
He told Sky News, “What I am worried about is, if this instance happened while it’s taking off, we really have to look at the security side of things and work out whether there’s some evil intent behind this.
“Because, basically, the aircraft these days, they sort of fly themselves.
“And so there shouldn’t have been a problem, in taking off, especially not with a Dreamliner. It’s got a pretty good track record.
“And, as I say, it is state of the art. So, we really need more detail and the detail will come out today.”
Just heard about the absolutely HEARTBREAKING TRAGEDY of the Air India Flight AI171, Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying an estimated 242 people from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashing shortly after takeoff near Ahmedabad Airport. Precious lives hang in the balance in Meghaninagar… pic.twitter.com/GAildMfE0A
— Tehseen Poonawalla Official 🇮🇳 (@tehseenp) June 12, 2025
A spokesman from Air India said, “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, June 12 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates.”
Police in the area reports the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, with FlightRadar reporting the final signal being received “just seconds after take off.”
A spokesman from London Gatwick Airport said: “We can confirm that flight AI171 that crashed on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today was due to land at London Gatwick at 5.25pm.
India’s civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said: “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.
