Air India Flight to London Crashes After Takeoff from Ahmedabad

An Air India flight bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, western India, on Thursday, according to the airline. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, operating as flight AI171, was carrying 242 passengers when it went down less than 10 minutes after departure.

All outbound flights from Ahmedabad have been temporarily suspended as authorities respond to the incident. Local police confirmed that the aircraft crashed minutes after takeoff, and tracking data from Flightradar24 indicated the plane reached a maximum altitude of just 625 feet before descending rapidly at -475 feet per minute. The last signal from the aircraft was recorded at 10:08 a.m. local time—under a minute after takeoff.

The aircraft involved was first flown in December 2013 and delivered to Air India in January 2014. Boeing (NYSE:BA), the manufacturer of the Dreamliner, saw its stock fall more than 8% in pre-market U.S. trading following reports of the crash.

Flightradar24 and multiple news outlets including Reuters and the Financial Times have been closely monitoring the situation. Emergency services and aviation authorities are currently investigating the cause of the crash, with further updates expected.

This tragic incident raises fresh concerns about aviation safety in India and could intensify scrutiny on Boeing’s aircraft models amid ongoing industry challenges. The global aviation community now awaits official confirmation on casualties and potential technical failures linked to the Dreamliner involved in this crash.