India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a detailed statement regarding the crash of an Air India plane with 242 passengers onboard.
The DGCA is its statement said, “ The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, registered VT-ANB. The flight took off at 1:39 PM IST (08:09 UTC) from Runway 23. Shortly after takeoff, the pilots issued a "MAYDAY" distress call to air traffic control. However, no further communication was received before the plane plummeted to the ground.
“Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site,” the DGCA noted.,” the DGCA noted.
The airlines also issued a statement regarding the mishap. "Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on http://airindia.com and on our X handle," the post read.
Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is confirmed to be among the passengers onboard. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar.
Notably, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, Ahmedabad, is currently non operational and all flight operations are temporarily suspended until further notice.
Reportedly, there were 169 Indian nationals on board, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese and 1 Canadian on board. At least 100 people have been killed in the crash.
