Air India Flight 171

Air India Flight 171 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by Air India from Ahmedabad Airport in India to London Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. On 12 June 2025, at 1:38 p.m. IST, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating the flight crashed, approximately 30 seconds after takeoff, into the hostel block of B. J. Medical College in Meghaninagar neighbourhood of Ahmedabad.

The aircraft was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members. At least 269 people died, including 241 people on the flight and at least 28 people on the ground. A single passenger survived. This accident is the first fatal crash and hull loss involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Background-Aircraft and route- The aircraft involved was an eleven-year-old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner registered as VT-ANB with serial number 36279. The aircraft was built at Boeing's Everett factory and delivered to the airline on 28 January 2014. It was powered by two General Electric GEnx-1B67 engines.

This is the first fatal crash and the first hull loss involving a Boeing 787 since its introduction in 2011, and Air India's first fatal hull loss since the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985. It is the deadliest single-aircraft crash in the history of aviation in India. It is also India's second-deadliest aviation disaster, and the first widebody aircraft crash in the country in 29 years, after the 1996 Charkhi Dadri mid-air collision, which involved a Saudia Boeing 747 and a Kazakhstan Airlines Ilyushin IL-76.

Air India began running routes from Gatwick in 2013, and, at the time of the crash, had 12 departures a week from the airport, including five to Ahmedabad.

Passengers and crew- The flight was carrying 242 people – 230 passengers, including 11 children and 2 infants, along with 2 pilots and 10 flight attendants – according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India. The passenger manifest included 169 Indians, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and a Canadian national. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar.

Flight 171 took off from runway 23 of Ahmedabad Airport at 13:38 local time (IST; 08:08 UTC) en route to London Gatwick. According to METAR reports, the weather was stable and the visibility was clear. The ADS-B transponder of the aircraft reported an altitude of 625 feet (191 m) before reception was lost at 08:08:50 UTC at around 230 feet (70 m) before the threshold of runway 05. The flight crew issued a mayday call to air traffic control in Ahmedabad. The crash happened during the aircraft's initial climb phase. A video of the incident showed the aircraft initially gaining altitude before gradually descending and, just out of line-of-sight, crashing in a plume of fire and smoke 30 seconds after takeoff. The aircraft's landing gear was never retracted.

Eyewitnesses from the Meghani Nagar area reported hearing multiple explosions, followed by thick plumes of smoke visible from nearby locations as the aircraft hit a building and slid. The plane crashed into students' hostel buildings of B. J. Medical College located in Civil Hospital campus. The aircraft's partially intact stabilizers and tail cone rested on top of a multi-storey building after the accident. There were several explosions immediately after the crash.

Rescue and relief operation- The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services Department confirmed the deployment of units from various city divisions. The first call to the control room was received on 13:45 IST. Two firefighter teams were sent immediately from Naroda GIDC and the "brigade call" was issued. Along with fire office staff of more than 15 people, total 337 firemen, 60 fire vehicles and 20 water bowsers were deployed. Multiple ambulances including 20 ambulances from the fire department were rushed to the location. All roads leading to the crash site and surrounding areas were closed to facilitate rescue operations. Twenty fire vehicles were sent from Vadodara. The teams from Gandhinagar Fire Department, ONGC, GIFT City and Civil Defence also participated in the operation.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), responsible for security at Ahmedabad Airport, were among the first responders. Two Border Security Force (BSF) teams were deployed. Around 130 personnel of the Indian Army were deployed to assist in clearing debris and treating the injured. A military hospital was put on standby to assist efforts. The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployed around 150 personnel while the three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 90 people were mobilised for the rescue operations. The Western Railway provided Disaster Management Team, Railway Protection Force staff along with hospital team of six doctors, 20 personnel and seven ambulances.

The fire was put under control within an hour but the rescue operation was continued for another five hours. The Central Workshop of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) employed 159 vehicles, 15 earthmovers, five excavators, 25 trucks and one roller to clear the debris from the site. The AMC also called in 130 engineers, more than 100 personnel from its health department for the relief operation and ordered the emergency readiness of the municipal hospitals.

Shortly after the crash, all flight operations at the airport were suspended before resuming later in the day with a limited capacity.