Air India Boeing 787 Carrying 242 People Crashes, One Survivor Found

An Air India flight bound for London with 242 people on board crashed shortly after takeoff in Ahmedabad on Thursday morning.

Amit Shah, India’s home minister, said that one survivor was found in the aircraft and was now being treated in the hospital. He said more than 200 bodies have so far been recovered.

“The entire nation stands united in mourning and with full sympathy for the unfortunate accident and the families of those affected,” Shah said in Hindi at a press conference on Thursday. “We received the good news that one passenger survived. I have personally met this survivor.”

Data from Flightradar24 showed the Boeing 787 Dreamliner reaching an altitude of 625 feet before the signal ended. It crashed into a medical college about a mile south of the runway.

Minakshi Parikh, the dean of the college, said at least five of its students were killed after the plane hit a dining facility during lunchtime, The New York Times reported.

Images and video posted on social media showed thick black smoke rising into the sky near the city’s civil hospital.

A mayday call was issued, but there was no response from the cockpit to air traffic controllers, India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

There were 169 Indian citizens, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian on Flight 171, the airline said. The DGCA said there were also 10 cabin crew and two pilots on the flight.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was leading a team of US investigators who were traveling to assist Indian authorities with an investigation into the incident. British investigators also said they were sending a team to India.

The plane, registered as VT-ANB, was first delivered to Air India in January 2014. It had flown to Ahmedabad from India’s capital, New Delhi, earlier in the day, and had flown to Paris, Melbourne, Frankfurt, and Tokyo in the past week.

Thursday’s incident is the first total loss of a 787 since the model entered service in 2011.

Boeing said in a statement: “We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them. Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders, and all affected.”

Boeing stock fell sharply premarket and was trading 4.7% lower at $204 around an hour after markets opened.

Morgan Stanley analysts said the event “derails the positive momentum on Boeing’s stock,” which had gained about 25% this year.

Flight 171 had been due to land at London Gatwick airport at 6:25 p.m. local time.

Air India’s CEO, Campbell Wilson, said in a video statement that the airline’s teams are “working around the clock” to support passengers, crew, their families, and investigators.

He said that while he understands people want to know more information, “anything we report must be accurate and not speculative.”

“We owe that to everyone involved,” he added.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on X: “The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words. In this sad hour, my thoughts are with everyone affected by it. Have been in touch with Ministers and authorities who are working to assist those affected.”

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the situation as devastating in a statement on X, adding: “I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time.”

Images appeared to show the jet’s landing gear had not been retracted.

Alastair Rosenschen, an aviation consultant and former British Airways pilot, told Sky News: “If the gear was still down, then that would suggest that something is untoward.”

The crash comes at a testing time for Air India, which has been overhauling its operations since the Tata Group acquired the formerly state-owned carrier in 2022.

A year later, it ordered 470 aircraft worth $70 billion at list prices. The new jets, with much more modern seats, are a distinct upgrade from the older planes that make up the bulk of its fleet — although supply-chain constraints have hindered deliveries.