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The Air India flight to London Gatwick crashed in Ahmedabad, western India shortly after takeoff, with 242 people on board.
Air India said the people on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft include 169 Indian citizens, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese and Canadians. There were also 10 cabin crews and 2 pilots.
India’s Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said “many people” were killed in the crash on Thursday but did not give an exact number.
According to reports from the press, the Ahmedabad police chief said there appear to be no survivors from the crash.
According to the Blightradar24, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was over a decade old. This added that after reaching an altitude of 625 feet, the aircraft began to descend at a vertical speed of 475 feet per minute.
The aircraft tracking service added that the plane’s signal was lost at 1:38pm local time just after takeoff.
Rohan Krishnan, head of Phyma in Indian Medical Association, said that the flight had collided with BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, adding that some students had been taken to the hospital.
According to the Aviation Safety Network Database, this is the first time the 787 has crashed.
Boeing shares fell 7% in pre-market trading on Thursday.
The crash led to the then-Dennis Muilenberg stepping down after a series of safety crises, including two fatal crashes in the 2018 and 2019 737 Max models.
An aerial explosion of the door plug of the 737 MAX-9 jet operated by Alaska Airlines in January 2024 caused another clear-out of top management amid concerns over the quality of Boeing’s manufacturing.
Kelly Ortberg, who became the manufacturer’s new CEO last August, tried to stabilize Boeing’s production, improve its quality control process and reinforce its balance sheet.
“The idea was affected by passengers, crew, first responders, everything,” the company said Thursday.
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Police in Gujarat told the Financial Times that the plane took off from the Ahmedabad airport and crashed “within ten minutes.”
India’s aviation regulator said the aircraft had made a Mayday call to air traffic control.
British Prime Minister Kielstama wrote to X on Thursday:
“My idea is to have passengers and their families during this deeply and miserable time,” he added.
India Prime Minister Narendra Modi said: “The tragedy of Ahmedabad surprised us and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words.
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, chairman of Tata, who took over the airline from state control in 2022, said, “In deep sadness, Air India Flight 171 confirms that Ahmedabad, London and Gatwick has been involved in a tragic accident.”
Tata has committed to modernizing its carrier, and in 2023 Air India agreed to a deal with Boeing and Airbus, purchasing 470 new aircraft, one of the biggest orders in aviation history.
Aviation consultant John Strickland said Boeing’s 787 had a “good in-service safety record,” adding that it was “too early to speculate on a possible cause” of the accident.
Air India faced “decades of national ownership and poor management challenges,” Strickland said.
However, he said that since it was sold to Tata, experienced management has been brought in and the carrier has “begun to move in the right direction operationally and commercially.”
