Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 12: All flight operations at Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport have been suspended until further notice following the crash of an Air India flight shortly after takeoff, according to an official airport spokesperson.
The incident occurred when Flight AI171, a London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 people onboard, including 12 crew members, crashed into the Meghani Nagar area just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM IST on Thursday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that the aircraft issued a MAYDAY call before losing all communication. The plane fell outside the airport perimeter, and witnesses reported seeing thick black smoke billowing from the crash site.
In response to the tragedy, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who was in Vijayawada at the time, rushed to Ahmedabad. The minister is closely coordinating with officials from the DGCA, Airports Authority of India (AAI), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Gujarat administration to ensure immediate relief and rescue operations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also spoken to both the Civil Aviation Minister and Home Minister Amit Shah. He instructed them to personally oversee the situation in Ahmedabad and ensure all possible aid is extended to the victims and their families.
Air India, in an official post on X, acknowledged the incident and stated that details are being ascertained, with updates to follow on their website and social media platforms.
As per DGCA sources, the ill-fated flight was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal, a senior pilot with over 8,200 flying hours, and First Officer Clive Kundar, who had clocked 1,100 hours. A team from the Directorate of Airworthiness, already present in Ahmedabad on a separate assignment, has been redirected to support the crash investigation.
In total, six NDRF teams have been mobilised — three from Gandhinagar and three more from Vadodara — involving over 90 personnel to assist in the ongoing rescue and recovery operations.