Air India Flight 171

Air India Flight 171 was a scheduled international passenger flight from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, India, to London Gatwick Airport in England. On June 12, 2025, the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operating the flight crashed just 32 seconds after takeoff into a hostel block at B. J. Medical College, Ahmedabad.

Tragically, of the 12 crew members and 230 passengers on board, only one passenger survived. On the ground, 19 people were killed and 67 others were seriously injured. The crash destroyed the aircraft and damaged several college buildings.

According to a preliminary report, the crash was caused by the loss of thrust in both engines after their fuel control switches were moved from RUN to CUTOFF shortly after takeoff. The incident remains under investigation, and the final report has not yet been released. This was the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 and the deadliest aviation incident in the 2020s.

Background

The crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner operated by Air India. This plane had been in service since January 2014 and was equipped with two General Electric engines. Air India started flying to Gatwick Airport in 2023, with 12 weekly flights, including five from Ahmedabad.

Flight 171 carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members, including 13 children, two pilots, and ten flight attendants. The plane was commanded by an experienced Captain with over 15,000 flight hours, and the first officer had around 3,400 flight hours. The Boeing 787 has special fuel control switches that can stop an engine in emergencies, but these are usually only used on the ground or in serious situations like an engine fire or some other malfunction.

Rescue and relief operation

The first call to the fire and emergency control room came at 13:45 IST. Over 300 firefighters, along with 60 fire vehicles and 20 water bowsers, rushed to help from Naroda. Ambulances were also sent quickly, and roads near the crash were closed to make space for rescue teams.

Help came from many groups, including the Central Industrial Security Force, the Indian Army, and teams from nearby cities like Vadodara, Gandhinagar, and GIFT City. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation sent many vehicles and workers to clear debris and support the effort. Flights at the airport were stopped for a short time but started again later.

Casualties

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, India. Sadly, most of the people on the plane did not survive. Only one person, a British citizen named Viswash Kumar Ramesh, lived through the accident. He was seated near an emergency exit, which helped him escape when part of the plane broke away.

Many people on the ground were also hurt by the crash and the fires that followed. Medical students in a nearby building were among those injured, but many managed to get away safely. All of the victims’ remains were identified using DNA testing.

Investigation

India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) led the investigation into the crash, with help from teams from the United Kingdom, the United States, and engine maker GE Aerospace. Investigators recovered important flight recorders that store details about what happened in the cockpit and during the flight.

A preliminary report showed that shortly after takeoff, both engines suddenly lost power. The pilots tried to restart them, and one engine began to come back online, but the second engine struggled. The aircraft began to lose height and crashed just 32 seconds after taking off. Investigators are still looking into why the engines stopped working and what could have been done to prevent it.

Responses

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the crash site and the hospital where he met the lone survivor and those injured on the ground. Home Minister Amit Shah spoke with the Gujarat chief minister, Bhupendrabhai Patel, who organised immediate rescue and relief efforts.

UK prime minister Keir Starmer expressed his condolences, and the UK Foreign Office arranged crisis teams in India and the UK. King Charles III requested that senior royals wear black armbands and observe a minute of silence in honour of the victims at the Trooping the Colour ceremony. Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran expressed deep condolences and focused on supporting victims and their families. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said it was a difficult day for the airline and that special teams would provide additional support while investigations continued.

Aftermath

After the crash, the Tata Group, Air India's parent company, offered payments to families of those who were lost and helped cover medical costs for the injured. They also planned to rebuild five college buildings that were damaged. Air India stopped 83 wide-body flights for six weeks for safety checks and later slowly resumed its flights.

Air India changed the flight numbers for its Ahmedabad to London route and planned to switch to Heathrow Airport temporarily. Boeing's CEO offered help to investigators, and the company's share price changed after the crash. The airline also offered cash settlements to families of the victims if they did not pursue legal action.