London-bound plane with 242 people crashes in India

An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12, 2025.

The airline and police confirmed the plane crash without specifying whether there were any fatalities.

Air India said the plane was headed to Gatwick airport in the United Kingdom, while police officers disclosed that it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.

The 242 people included 217 adults and 11 children.

Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.

Aviation tracking site Flightradar24 said the plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of the most modern passenger aircraft in service.

The airline wrote on X: “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.

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“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.

“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates.”

The crash occurred just after the plane took off, television channels reported. One channel showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then disappearing from the screen before a huge jet of fire rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

Visuals also showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport.

They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.

The Star