Air India plane with 242 on board crashes near Ahmedabad airport

An Air India plane carrying 242 passengers crashed near the Ahmedabad airport in Gujarat on Thursday, ANI reported, quoting the State Police Control Room.

Air India said that the flight, AI171, was slated to travel from Ahmedabad to London. “At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest,” the airline said in a social media post.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said that the aircraft took off at 1.38 pm and crashed just five minutes later, the agency added.

Out of those who were on board, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British, seven are Portuguese and one is Canadian.

Visuals on social media showed a large column of smoke billowing from the site of the crash.

Visuals released by Mid Day showed the moment the plane crashed.

The plane was a B787 Dreamliner aircraft, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said. The agency said that the flight gave a mayday call to the local Air Traffic Control, but when the control room called the aircraft, there was no response.

“Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on ground outside the airport perimeter,” the civil aviation authority said.

All flight operations at the Ahmedabad airport were suspended after the crash. Passengers have been advised to check for updates with their airlines before heading to the airport.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to provide medical aid and relief support at the site.

“We are on highest alert,” the minister said. “I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action.”

While the toll in the crash is yet to be confirmed, N Chandrasekaran, the chairman of Air India, expressed condolences to “the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event”.

In a statement shared by the Tata Group, which owns Air India, Chandrasekaran said the primary focus of the airline is on “supporting all the affected people and their families”.

“We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted,” he said.

The Air India chairman added that an emergency centre has been activated and support teams have been set up for families seeking information.”

This is a developing story and will be updated as new details emerge.

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