Just weeks after Boeing agreed to a record $1.1 billion settlement over the 737 Max disasters, another one of its planes has plunged out of the sky. This time, it’s the flagship Dreamliner that descended over Ahmedabad this afternoon. An Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Flight AI 171, carrying 242 people, crashed just minutes after taking off.
The plane had left Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on its way to London’s Gatwick, with 230 passengers and 12 crew on board. Among them were 169 Indian citizens, 53 from the United Kingdom, seven from Portugal, and one from Canada. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft climbed only a few hundred feet before the pilot issued a mayday call and then contact was lost.
The jet plummeted into a busy residential and campus area in Meghani Nagar, striking a hostel used by resident doctors. The crash unleashed a massive fireball that shot thick, black smoke into the sky, leaving nearby students, staff, and locals in stunned shock. Eyewitnesses spoke of the horrifying scene of burning wreckage, screams, and frantic rescue workers rushing into the flames to find survivors.
Local officials confirmed that at least 204 bodies have been recovered from the charred remains, with dozens more injured or trapped now receiving urgent care in hospitals across the city. As the likelihood of anyone surviving on board fades, emergency teams, including firefighters, Delhi’s NDRF, police, the Army, and Coast Guard, are racing against time to comb the wreckage, help the injured, and support the devastated community.
In the aftermath, Air India has set up hotlines to assist grieving families, while government and airline officials promise full cooperation in the probe now being led by India’s aviation accident bureau. Pilots and crew members, including a seasoned captain and crew with thousands of flight hours, are being remembered with heavy hearts. International leaders have expressed their sorrow, extending condolences and pledging support. As India mourns its deadliest air disaster in decades and the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787, the nation is left reeling and demanding answers, hoping this tragedy sparks a renewed focus on safety and vigilance in air travel.
