By Tiffany Williams –
An Air India passenger plane, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner carrying 242 individuals, crashed into a medical college in Ahmedabad shortly after takeoff on Thursday.
CCTV footage from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad captured the moment the aircraft ascended into the sky, and then merely seconds into the flight the plane appeared to lose altitude abruptly, failing to gain the necessary height, and ultimately plummeting into the residential area below.
The ill-fated flight was en route to London Gatwick Airport and had a diverse passenger demographic, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese travelers, and one Canadian.
Local authorities have reported that 204 bodies have been recovered from the site of the crash; however, it remains unclear how many of these victims were aboard the aircraft and how many were residents on the ground at the time of the incident.
In a glimmer of hope amid the tragedy, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah reported that a single passenger survived the crash. This individual, identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British-Indian national residing in London, was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
In response to the tragic event, President Trump expressed his condolences, stating, “The plane crash is terrible. I’ve already told them, anything we can do… It’s a big country, a strong country. I let them know that anything we can do, we’ll be over there immediately.”
Black smoke and thick plumes of flames engulfed the crash site, located near the airport in Ahmedabad, a bustling city with a population exceeding 5 million, and the capital of Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.
Firefighters worked tirelessly to extinguish the fire, dousing the burning wreckage of the plane—which was fully loaded with fuel at the time of takeoff—and the adjacent multistory buildings. Disturbingly, charred bodies lay scattered around the site, and debris from the aircraft was strewn across the area. The Indian army dispatched teams to assist local authorities in clearing the wreckage and treating the injured.
This tragic incident marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, further complicating Boeing’s recovery efforts from a series of safety controversies and manufacturing challenges. Since its introduction in 2009, over 1,000 units of the wide-body, twin-engine aircraft have been delivered to various airlines globally.
Boeing’s President and CEO, Kelly Ortberg, extended condolences to the families affected by the crash, stating, “Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad. I have spoken with Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.”
As of now, the cause of the crash remains undetermined. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has indicated that the Indian government will spearhead the investigation, while the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will serve as the U.S. representative if requested. The FAA stated it “stands ready to launch a team immediately” to assist, in cooperation with the NTSB.
Boeing has been attempting to rebound from past crises, notably following two significant tragedies involving its 737 Max model, which resulted in a total of 346 fatalities. The first incident occurred on October 29, 2018, when Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea shortly after takeoff from Jakarta, Indonesia. Just five months later, Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 met a similar fate shortly after departing from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Historically, India’s worst air disaster occurred on November 12, 1996, when a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight collided with a Kazakhstan Airlines plane near Charki Dadri in Haryana state, resulting in the tragic loss of all 349 individuals on board both aircraft.
This crash comes just days before the commencement of the Paris Air Show, a major global aviation expo where Boeing and its European competitor, Airbus, will showcase their latest offerings and vie for jet orders from airline clients.