London| Bound Airplane Crashes Minutes After Takeoff in India with 242 Onboard

A major aviation tragedy unfolded in India today, as an Air India Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, carrying 242 people.

Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, lost altitude and crashed just minutes after departure, around 1:38 PM local time.

The aircraft had reached only 625 feet when it plummeted into a densely populated residential area near Meghani Nagar, triggering a massive explosion and thick plumes of smoke.

• Eyewitnesses described a “fireball in the sky” and debris raining down near homes. The flight carried 230 passengers and 12 crew members.

• Among them: 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian citizen.

A mayday call was issued just before contact was lost, suggesting a serious technical or mechanical failure.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Air India have launched an official investigation.

The aircraft was 11 years old, and this marks the first major crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since its introduction in 2009.