LONDON and DELHI — An Air India airliner carrying 242 passengers and crew en route to the United Kingdom from India crashed in an area near the Ahmedabad airport, in India’s Gujarat state, local officials and the airline said.
“The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 13:38 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, the airline said in a statement posted on social media. “Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.”
The plane, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, crashed in the Meghaninagar area near the airport, the Ahmedabad Police Commissioner said Thursday.
Firefighters work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Ajit Solanki/AP
The Indian Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the plane “fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter” immediately after it departed from the airport.
“Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the Directorate General said in the statement.
The Indian Civil Aviation Minister said he has “directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action,” to respond to the crash.
Smoke rises after an airplane crashed in Ahmedabad, Gujarat state, India, Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Mohan Nakum via AP
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site,” the minister added.
The airline said it was “ascertaining the details” of the incident.
“Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025,” the airline said in a statement posted on social media.
Air India flight was scheduled to fly from Ahmedabad International Airport to London Gatwick Airport, according to FlightRadar24, a tracking site. It had been scheduled to depart at 9:50 a.m. local time, with a scheduled arrival time in London at 18:25 p.m. local time.
Firefighters work at the site of an airplane that crashed in India’s northwestern city of Ahmedabad in Gujarat state, Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Ajit Solanki/AP
The captain had 8,200 hours of experience and the copilot had 1,100 hours of flying experience, the Directorate General added.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti, Ellie Kaufman and Clara McMichael contributed to this report.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
