An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff on Wednesday, June 12. The aircraft, registered VT-ANB, went down just outside the airport perimeter after issuing a mayday call.
According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the flight departed from Runway 23 at 1:39 PM IST (0809 UTC). Minutes later, the crew reported an emergency. Air Traffic Control (ATC) received the distress signal but lost communication soon after.
The aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew. The flight was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with over 8,200 flight hours. The first officer, Clive Kundar, had 1,100 hours of flying experience.
Video footage and eyewitnesses reported seeing heavy black smoke at the crash site. Emergency services were immediately deployed to the scene. The extent of casualties and damage is still being confirmed by authorities.
In a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Air India said, “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest.”
The DGCA has launched a formal investigation to determine the cause of the accident.
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