Ahmedabad Plane Crash: DGCA Orders Probe Into Air India Flight Accident

On June 12, 2025, Air India Flight AI-171, a Boeing 787 en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all 242 on board.

The incident occurred at around 2:00 PM IST, just moments after the aircraft departed from Runway 23.

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into the tragic crash of an Air India aircraft in Ahmedabad on Thursday, 12 June 2025. The Boeing 787 aircraft, en route to London Gatwick as Flight AI-171, crashed shortly after take-off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, with 242 people on board. Among the passengers was former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, who was reportedly travelling to London on the flight.

Ahmedabad Plane Crash 

In a statement, DGCA said, "On 12th Jun, 2025, M/s Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB while operating flight Al-171 from (Ahmedabad to Gatwick) has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 person on board the aircraft consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew."

"As per ATC, 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. Aircraft Immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site," it said. 

The incident occurred at around 2:00 PM IST, just moments after the aircraft departed from Runway 23. However, no further communication was received from the flight crew thereafter, despite repeated attempts by ATC to re-establish contact.

The Air India flight AI 171 was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with 8,200 hours of flying experience and he was assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours of flight experience. This information was also released by the DGCA following the crash. 

Meanwhile, Air India has activated a dedicated passenger hotline, 1800 5691 444, to provide ongoing information regarding the incident. The airline has also publicly affirmed its full cooperation with all authorities involved in the investigation.