Ahmedabad, 12 June 2025: A London-bound Air India flight (AI171) crashed shortly after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, with the front section of the aircraft landing on the roof of the resident doctors’ hostel at BJ Medical College.
The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese nationals. The flight had departed at 1:38 PM IST and gave a Mayday call before losing contact with Air Traffic Control, as confirmed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Air India issued a statement at 3:19 PM IST, confirming the incident and stating that injured passengers are being shifted to nearby hospitals. A dedicated passenger information hotline has been set up at 1800 5691 444. The airline also stated, “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”
The Union Home Minister Amit Shah expressed deep grief on social media platform X at 3:31 PM IST, stating, “Pained beyond words by the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad… Disaster response forces have been quickly rushed to the crash site.” He also confirmed he had spoken with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, State Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi, and the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reacted shortly after at 4:05 PM IST, posting on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us… In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it.”
Emergency teams and investigators are currently at the scene. The number of casualties and the cause of the crash are yet to be officially confirmed.
