Tragedy struck in India on June 12, 2025, when Air India flight AI171—a Boeing 787 Dreamliner—crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London. The crash marks the first-ever fatal accident involving the Dreamliner, a model with a previously strong safety record.
The flight carried 244 people: 232 passengers (including 169 Indians and 53 British nationals) and 12 crew. The plane issued a mayday alert shortly after liftoff but lost contact at just 625 feet altitude. It crashed five minutes into the flight, slamming into a residential area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, hitting a doctors’ hostel at B.J. Medical College.
At least 30–35 bodies have been recovered, with others feared trapped. Among the victims were medical students and residents of the area. Rescue teams rushed to the site as thick smoke billowed from the wreckage. Weather conditions were reportedly clear.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu is personally overseeing the response. The airport has been shut down, and investigations are ongoing. This disaster delivers a fresh blow to Boeing, already under scrutiny over its 737 series, and to Air India, which was recently privatized under the Tata Group. Loved ones gathered outside hospitals awaiting news, clinging to hope amid heartbreak. As one survivor’s mother said tearfully, “He jumped from the second floor he’s alive, but many others weren’t as lucky.”