Tragedy struck the aviation world earlier today when an Air India flight between Ahmedabad and London crashed shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD).
Air India Flight Crashes on Departure from Ahmedabad
Air India Flight 171, with scheduled service between Ahmedabad and London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday, June 12, 2025 around 1:45p local time. The flight was being operated by VT-ANB, an 11 year old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that was delivered new to Air India in 2014.
The aircraft had 242 people onboard, comprised of two pilots, ten crew, and 230 passengers. Air India’s Boeing 787-8s can seat 256 passengers across 18 Business Class and 238 Economy seats. According to a report from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India, there were 169 Indian, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and one Canadian citizen onboard the aircraft.
Data from FlightRadar24 shows the plane climbed to roughly 625 feet, the airport is located 190 feet above sea level so it was a little over 400 feet off of the ground. The aircraft was airborne for roughly a minute before it crashed into a high density area of the city. Video footage of the plane shows it struggling to maintain altitude before the crash.
This incident marks the first fatal crash and hull loss involving the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and Air India’s first major hull loss since the bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985.
Aircraft Crashed into Doctors’ Hostel
While the loss of a commercial aircraft with more than 240 passengers onboard is tragic, this tragedy was compounded by the fact that the aircraft came down in an extremely dense part of the city.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner hit a building used as doctors’ accommodations at the Byramjee Jeejeebhoy Medical College and Civil Hospital. At this time it is unclear exactly how many people were killed on the ground but multiple reports indicate it is in excess of 50 individuals.
Sole Surviving Passenger Was Seated in Seat 11A
In a surprising twist, there was one surviving passenger from the crash. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, a British citizen of Indian origin, managed to survive the ill-fated flight of Air India 171. Seated in Seat 11A, he emerged from the wreckage relatively unscathed.
After the crash, he was quoted by news outlets in India stating:
“Thirty seconds after take-off, there was a loud noise and then the plane crashed. It all happened so quickly.”
While he is beyond lucky to have survived, it appears that his brother was one of the 241 passengers that perished in the crash.
Summary
An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed on departure from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (AMD) in Ahmedabad. The flight was bound for London’s Gatwick Airport when it crashed into a medical school building shortly after takeoff.
While I won’t speculate on what caused the crash, there are multiple video angles of the accident that showcase the takeoff roll and accident impact. I would expect that we will have a preliminary answer for the accident in the coming days with a full report to follow.