An Air India flight heading to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, killing more than 240 people in what is now the deadliest air disaster in over a decade. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people and bound for Gatwick Airport near London, plunged into a medical college hostel during lunchtime. Only one person survived the crash. The lone survivor, a British citizen of Indian origin, is currently being treated in hospital. He described hearing a loud noise moments after takeoff. “Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed,” 40-year-old Ramesh Viswashkumar told the Hindustan Times, from his hospital bed. “It all happened so quickly. When I got up, there were bodies all around me. I was scared. I stood up and ran. There were pieces of the plane all around me. Someone grabbed hold of me and put me in an ambulance and brought me to the hospital.”
He added that his brother, who was also on the flight, is still missing. “He was travelling with me and I can’t find him anymore. Please help me find him,” he said.
Authorities confirmed that the death toll includes both passengers and individuals on the ground. Among the dead is former Gujarat State Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
Gujarat state police revised the initial death count from 294 to over 240 after it was discovered some body parts had been counted twice. It remains unclear how many of the victims were on board versus in the hostel.
DNA samples are being collected from relatives to identify the victims, according to state health secretary Dhananjay Dwivedi.
The crash scattered debris across the smouldering hostel building, with the aircraft's tail still lodged on its roof.
The flight carried 217 adults, 11 children, and 2 infants. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian, Air India confirmed.
This was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has been in commercial use since 2011. The aircraft involved was delivered to Air India in January 2014.
Crash Moments and Investigation
Airport officials say the plane departed at 1:39 p.m. local time and issued a Mayday call shortly after takeoff. CCTV footage captured the aircraft flying low over a residential area before vanishing from view, followed by a massive fireball.
Eyewitnesses reported the chaos:
A relative at a local hospital said they learned of the crash just an hour after their family member’s flight departed.
A mother of a student at the hostel said her son was injured after jumping from a second floor window during the incident.
Aerospace expert Anthony Brickhouse noted that the landing gear appeared to be down at the time of the crash, unusual for such an early stage of flight, raising questions about a potential technical fault.
India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu announced that a high-level investigation has been launched, led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg said he was canceling a planned trip to the Paris Air Show to focus on the crash. A team of Boeing and GE Aerospace experts will be sent to assist with the investigation.
Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson expressed “deep sorrow” and said the investigation could take time. Boeing shares dropped 5% after news of the crash.
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, along with the UK and Indian authorities, is involved in the ongoing probe.
Global Reactions and Recent History
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the tragedy in his home state was “heartbreaking beyond words.” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the crash “devastating,” and U.S. President Donald Trump described it as “terrible.” King Charles has also been briefed on the situation.
Ahmedabad Airport temporarily suspended operations but has since resumed limited flights.
This is India’s first major air disaster since 2020, when an Air India Express plane crash-landed in Kerala, killing 21 people.
Air India, formerly state-owned, was acquired by Tata Group in 2022 and merged with Vistara in 2024.
