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12th June 2025
12:12pm BST
An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route for London Gatwick Airport has crashed on the perimeters of Ahmedabad Airport in western India.
The plane was carrying 242 people on board including 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national.
Here is a summary of everything we know about the crash so far.
Air India flight AI171 took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad at 13:38 local time (09:08 BST) on Thursday (12 June).
However, barely a minute after the plane had taken off, it crashed into a densely populated area just beyond the airport perimeter.
Plane tracking app Flightradar24 shows the aircraft taking off from the airport only to disappear moments later.
Data from the app says the aircraft only reached 625ft (190m) before entering a negative climb rate, losing altitude and ultimately crashing into the ground.
Pilots gave a mayday call to air traffic control, however, reports say that the plane lost signal upon reaching its highest point with no subsequent contact being able to be made.
Such is the consequence of living in the modern world, the crash was caught in harrowing footage, providing some insight into the incident.
Footage which appears to be a recording of a screen showing another recording of the crash shows the plane in a steady altitude decline, suggesting a stall of some kind where the plane does not have enough lift to continue to gain altitude.
Take offs and landings are the moments most vulnerable to stalling as this is when a plane flies at lower and varying speeds.
The aircraft itself appears to be in fine external condition with no smoke or fire visible while the landing gear is still extended, highlighting how soon after take off the plane crashed.
The footage ends with a large fireball and plume of black smoke after impact.
The subsequent fireball is likely to have been most catastrophic at this moment with the plane carrying more fuel at this stage of the flight than any other due to the long, almost 10 hour, flight ahead of it.
The aircraft in question is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, one of the Seattle-based manufacturer's most modern and high tech aircrafts, in operation for the last 14 years.
It is the first crash and hull loss of the type and will no doubt be a cause of concern for Boeing who have had a torrid few years.
The plane had some initial teething problems during its introduction in the 2000s with its batteries catching fire, however, it has had a spotless record since, until today.
Regardless of the cause of the crash, the overall perception of the incident is unlikely to be in Boeing's favour, who have seen issues with the 737 Max in recent years as well as numerous concerns pertaining to whistle blowers at its productions plants.
Currently, a search and rescue operation is underway to try and locate survivors from the aircraft as well as in the residential area where the plane came down.
The Chief Minister of Gujarat, Bhupendra Patelsays, has said that officials have been instructed to carry out "immediate rescue and relief operations" and to make arrangements on a "war footing".
He wrote on X: "I have also instructed officials to arrange a green corridor to transport the injured passengers for treatment and to ensure all necessary medical arrangements are made at the hospital on priority."
