Plane bound for London Gatwick - with hundreds of people onboard - crashes.
The Air India flight has come down in Ahmedabad.
Last updated 12th Jun 2025
An Air India flight heading to London Gatwick has crashed in Ahmedabad.
The Reuters news agency reported 217 adults and 11 children were on board the flight.
In a statement, Air India said: "Air India confirms that flight AI171, from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, was involved in an accident today after take-off.
"The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals.
"The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals.
"We have also set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information.
"Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident."
A video of the incident, obtained by local media, shows the Air India aircraft flying over a residential area before crashing, creating what appears to be a huge fireball followed by large plumes of black smoke.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the crash was "devastating", while his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi said it was "heartbreaking beyond words".
The King has said he is “desperately shocked by the terrible events” of the Air India crash, and expressed his “deepest possible sympathy” to those who “await news of their loved ones”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has stood up a crisis team in India and the UK, David Lammy has said.
The Foreign Secretary told the Commons: "My thoughts and I'm sure those of the entire House are with those who've been affected by the tragic plane crash in India this morning.
"We know that British nationals were on board and I can confirm that the FCDO is working urgently with local authorities to support British nationals and their families, and has stood up a crisis team in both Delhi and in London."
The Government will provide "all the support that it can" to those on the Air India flight bound for Gatwick Airport which crashed shortly after take off, Commons Leader Lucy Powell said.
Speaking in the Commons, she said: "The thoughts of the whole House and the Government will be with the families of those traveling on flight AI171 from Ahmedabad in India to London, Gatwick, which has reportedly crashed.
"This is an unfolding story, and it will undoubtedly be causing a huge amount of worry and concern to the many, many families and communities here and those waiting for the arrival of their loved ones.
"We send our deepest sympathy and thoughts to all those families, and the Government will provide all the support that it can with those in India on those in this country as well."
India's federal health minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said in a statement that "many people" were killed in the crash.
Air India's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a "tragic accident" and a "devastating event" and said emergency response teams are at the site.
In a statement, Mr Chandrasekaran said: "With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
"At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.
"We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted."
He added: "An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families seeking information."
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, director general of India's directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press the crash happened in the Meghani Nagar area at 1.38pm local time (9.08am BST).
Mr Kidwai said there were 232 passengers and 12 crew members onboard.
It is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on social media platform X: "We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London.
"We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC (shortly before 9.09am BST), just seconds after take off.
"The aircraft involved is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with registration VT-ANB."
It added the signal from the aircraft was lost "less than a minute after take-off".
Air India was acquired by Tata Group from the Indian government in January 2022 after racking up billions of pounds of losses.
The airline's UK operations are at Birmingham, Gatwick and Heathrow, with routes to a number of Indian cities such as Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Recent analysis by the PA news agency found it was the worst airline for delays to flights from UK airports last year, with planes taking off by an average of more than 45 minutes later than scheduled.
The airline has gained a poor reputation for delays and cancellations in recent years, partly caused by a lack of funds to purchase spare aircraft parts, which led to some of its fleet being grounded.
The first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft involved in the crash was in December 2013.
The plane was delivered to Air India during the following month.