In one of the worst aviation disasters in a decade, an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday, slamming into a medical college hostel and killing more than 240 people (Dreamliner Crash).
The Crash:
- Flight AI171 had 242 people on board.
- The aircraft crashed into the hostel building during lunch hour, sending flames and debris across the compound.
- Only one survivor, a British national of Indian origin, has been confirmed. He was seated in 11A, near an emergency exit.
Casualties:
- Victims include passengers and people on the ground. Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is among the dead.
- Officials initially overestimated fatalities due to double-counted body parts.
- Authorities are using DNA samples for victim identification.
What Happened:
- CCTV footage shows the plane taking off before a sudden fireball erupts in the distance.
- A Mayday call was issued shortly after takeoff, but contact was lost.
- An aviation expert noted the landing gear was still down, raising questions about a possible malfunction.
Additional Details:
- The hostel was part of a medical college campus; some students were injured, but others escaped.
- The crashed Dreamliner was delivered to Air India in 2014; this was the first-ever fatal crash involving the 787-8 model.
- The plane carried 169 Indians, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian, including 11 children and 2 infants.
Aviation & Global Response:
- Indian Civil Aviation Ministry has launched a full investigation, with Boeing, GE Aerospace, the FAA, and British authorities assisting.
- Ahmedabad Airport operations resumed with restrictions.
- Shares of Boeing fell 5% following the crash.
Global Reactions:
- PM Narendra Modi, from Gujarat, called the incident “heartbreaking beyond words.”
- UK PM Keir Starmer and King Charles expressed deep sorrow.
- U.S. President Donald Trump called it “terrible.”
Background:
This is India’s deadliest air crash (Dreamliner Crash) since 2020 and a major setback for Air India, recently acquired by the Tata Group and merged with Vistara. Investigations are ongoing, and international teams are on their way to assist.
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