At least 204 people were killed and 41 were injured after a London-bound Air India flight carrying 242 people crashed moments after taking off from Ahmedabad in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. Flight AI171 came down on a government hospital hostel on the outskirts of the airport, leaving a field of debris and scenes of devastation.
Ahmedabad Police Commissioner GS Malik confirmed that 204 people had been killed in the Air India flight crash and indicated that the condition of those injured was extremely critical. Three medical students were killed in the crash, Dr Mehul Shah, chief of the Gujarat chapter of the Indian Medical Association, said. He added that several medical students were injured and admitted to the hospital. The Air India flight had taken off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39 pm and crashed just moments later.
It was bound for London’s Gatwick airport. The Air India Flight 171 was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner passenger jet that had landed in Ahmedabad earlier in the day after flying from Delhi. It was being flown by a flight crew that had a combined experience of over 9,000 hours. The government expressed its sorrow over the crash of an Air India flight in Ahmedabad, with the Ministry of External Affairs stating, “We have lost a lot of people.” The London-bound flight went down minutes after takeoff.
On board were 230 passengers and a crew of 12. Among them were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian national, and seven Portuguese nationals. The flight was commanded by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, an experienced pilot with 8,200 flight hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar. Boeing CEO says company will defer to the Indian investigation bureau.
We have a brief written statement from Boeing CEO and President Kelly Ortberg. “Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of the passengers and crew on board Air India Flight 171, as well as everyone affected in Ahmedabad,” Ortberg said. “I have spoken with Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran to offer our full support, and a Boeing team stands ready to support the investigation led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.
