On June 12, 2025, tragedy struck Ahmedabad when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed just seconds after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, en route to London Gatwick. Carrying 242 passengers and crew, the aircraft reached barely 625 feet before plummeting into a hostel at B.J. Medical College in the Meghani Nagar suburb, bursting into a massive fireball. Authorities confirm that at least 241 people aboard perished, along with scores of victims on the ground; total fatalities are nearing 269, including residents in affected buildings. The one astonishing survivor—a British national of Indian origin, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh—escaped from his emergency-exit seat, suffering chest and eye injuries. He urgently pleaded for help locating his brother Ajay, who remains missing. Over 60 people on the ground were also injured, including roughly 50 medical students in the collapsed hostel, now hospitalized.
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Rescue teams—comprising over 130 army personnel, firefighters, and ambulances—rushed to the scene. Officials have retrieved one of the black boxes, and engineering teams from Boeing, GE Aerospace, the NTSB, FAA, AAIB, and India’s AAIB are jointly investigating the crash. Initial video analysis suggests the plane failed to gain altitude and may have remained in landing configuration—gear down and flaps extended—raising urgent safety questions. In response, the Indian government is contemplating grounding Air India’s entire Boeing 787 fleet for comprehensive checks. Prime Minister Modi visited the crash site, lamenting the “heartbreaking” loss of lives, and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, along with King Charles and UK officials, extended condolences and support.
This grim incident marks the first-ever fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. As such, it strikes as a significant safety setback, posing challenges to Air India’s post-privatization efforts to restore its reputation and achieve “world-class airline” ambitions. The aviation sector now awaits the full black-box analysis to determine whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or procedural lapses triggered this disaster. For now, rescue and recovery continue amid deep public grief. Ahmedabad mourns while authorities, families, and global stakeholders wait for answers. The implications will likely resonate far beyond India’s skies, affecting aviation safety standards, Boeing’s global fleet, and rebuilding trust in one of India’s flagship carriers.
