AHMEDABAD, INDIA — June 12, 2025
Tragedy struck western India on Thursday afternoon when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport.
The aircraft departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 p.m. local time but lost control minutes later, crashing into a dining facility on the campus of a local medical college. India’s Health Minister confirmed that “many people” had lost their lives, though a full accounting of survivors remains unclear.
Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the medical college, confirmed that at least five students were killed in the crash. Videos and photos from the site showed thick black smoke rising from wreckage, with firefighters spraying water on burning debris. The aircraft’s tail was visibly lodged in the upper floors of a damaged building.
Air India reported that the flight carried 169 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. The airline said injured individuals were being transported to hospitals, though it remains uncertain whether they were passengers or people on the ground.
The airport in Ahmedabad temporarily shut down operations following the incident. The aircraft had been scheduled to land in London at 6:25 p.m. local time.
In a social media statement, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi described the crash as “heartbreaking beyond words” and extended his thoughts to all those affected. U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer also called the scenes “devastating” and confirmed that the British government is coordinating closely with Indian authorities while offering support to British citizens.
Among those listed as passengers was Vijay Rupani, the former Chief Minister of Gujarat, according to confirmation from party officials.
The crash has renewed focus on Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, a model that has seen multiple safety-related incidents but had not previously recorded a fatal crash, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Air India Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said the company is “fully focused on supporting all affected people and their families” and is cooperating with emergency response efforts. The airline, India’s flagship carrier, has been under scrutiny in recent years for safety concerns, including a 2020 crash that killed 21 people in Kozhikode.
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