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An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12. All 242 individuals on board, including two pilots and ten crew members, are feared dead, according to the news agency AP.

The toll was reported after speaking to Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik, who said that there appear to be no survivors.

The aircraft, operating as Flight AI-171, went down in a densely populated area near Meghani Nagar, triggering a massive blaze and panic on the ground. 

The flight had taken off at 1:39 pm IST but reportedly issued a mayday call before plummeting to the ground. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that although the emergency signal was picked up, no further communication was received from the aircraft. Eyewitnesses described a deafening sound followed by flames and thick black smoke engulfing the neighbourhood. Emergency services rushed to the scene, but officials have not yet confirmed the final toll or the presence of any survivors.

Who Were On Board

Air India has released an initial breakdown of the nationalities of those on board. Of the 242 people, 169 were Indian citizens. The rest comprised 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian passenger. The flight was captained by Sumeet Sabharwal, with Clive Kundar as co-pilot. According to early reports, Kundar had logged approximately 1,100 hours of flying time.

The tragedy has sparked international concern, especially in the UK, which had a significant number of nationals on the flight.

UK Responds As Crisis Unfolds

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer issued a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), expressing sorrow over the crash. “The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating. I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”

The UK government has since updated its travel advisory for India, urging citizens to remain in touch with consular services.

Investigation Underway

Rescue and recovery operations are ongoing, with multiple teams deployed to assess the site and retrieve remains. Authorities are expected to launch a full-scale investigation into the cause of the crash, including a review of technical issues and black box data. The DGCA has not yet released any preliminary findings, and it remains unclear what caused the Dreamliner to go down so abruptly after takeoff.

This tragic incident marks a dark day for Indian civil aviation and raises serious questions about flight safety protocols, especially on international routes.