Ahmedabad : The flight operations at the Ahmedabad airport have been suspended temporarily until further notice following the Air India plane crash after take off, according to an official spokesperson.
According to DGCA, the London-bound Air India flight crashed in the Meghani Nagar area of Ahmedabad following the take off at 01:38 pm on Thursday. The Boeing aircraft was carrying 242 people including 12 crew members.
"As a result of Air India plane crash incident, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), Ahmedabad, is currently not operational. All flight operations are temporarily suspended until further notice", according to a statement by SVPIA spokesperson.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu who was in Vijaywada has rushed to Ahmedabad after receiving the news of the plane crash. "Minister of Civil Aviation, Rammohan Naidu, who was in Vijayawada, rushed to Ahmedabad immediately upon receiving news of the flight crash. He is in constant contact with senior officials from DGCA, AAI, NDRF, and the Gujarat State administration to ensure swift, coordinated response and support. Rescue and medical teams are on site", as per the Rammohan Naidu.
As per the sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spoken to Ram Mohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah. PM Modi has asked them to go to Ahmedabad and ensure all possible assistance is extended to those affected in the wake of the air mishap.
"Air India, B787 Dreamliner aircraft, Ahmedabad to London (Gatwick) airport, had crashed into a residential area (Meghani Nagar), taking off at 1:38 PM, and crashed 5 minutes after takeoff. Directorate of Airworthiness (DAW), Assistant Directors of Airworthiness (ADAW) and one Flight Operations Inspector (FOI) already in Ahmedabad for some other task. They are getting details", DGCA said in a statement.
According to the Police Control room, the Air India Flight AI 171 was bound for London. "On 12th Jun, 2025, M/s Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad.
There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew. The aircraft was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal with First Officer Clive Kundar. Capt Sumeet Sabharwal is an LTC with 8200 hours of experience. The copilot had 1100 hours of flying experience. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmadabad at 1339 IST (0809 UTC) from runway 23. It gave a MAYDAY Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Immediately after departure from Runway 23, the Aircraft fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site", said a source in the DGCA.
"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", Air India said in their 'X' post. A total of three Natural Disaster Response Force teams have been moved from Gandhinagar to Ahmedabad, comprising of 90 personnel. Three teams from Vadodara are also moving to Ahmedabad.