A Boeing Dreamliner plane with 242 people aboard crashed moments after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India, local officials and the carrier said Thursday.
Air India Flight 171 was flying out of Ahmedabad sure for London Gatwick Airport when it was “involved in a tragic accident today,” Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran said.
A view shows the rear of an Air India plane following its crash, in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.
Central Industrial Security Forc | Via Reuters
The flight was operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a top-selling wide-body aircraft meant for longer routes. The aircraft was delivered to Air India in 2014, in accordance with flight-tracking site FlightRadar24.
The reason behind the crash wasn’t immediately known and will take months to find out. Under international protocols during crashes, the country where the incident took place will lead the investigation, together with officials, the maker of the aircraft and its engines, and others.
Initial flight-path data “shows that the aircraft reached a maximum barometric altitude of 625 feet (airport altitude is about 200 feet) after which it began to descend with an vertical speed of -475 feet per minute,” FlightRadar said on X.
Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the location where an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.
Amit Dave | Reuters
“We’re in touch with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand able to support them,” Boeing said in a press release. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
Flights at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, a significant airport in the realm, were temporarily suspended within the wake of the incident and resumed just a few hours later, in accordance with India’s government press bureau.
CNBC has reached out to local police and India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to make sure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the location. My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families,” said Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, India’s aviation minister, in a post on X.
People gather near a damaged constructing at the location where an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.
Amit Dave | Reuters
The incident reverberated into markets, with shares of Boeing down greater than 7% in premarket trading.
The incident occurred just before the high-profile Paris Air Show trade event set for next week, where each Boeing and rival Airbus were set to announce lots of of aircraft orders.
Boeing has also been working to show a corner from a years of safety and quality crises and has made strides, though it remained unclear on Thursday whether an aircraft quality problem was in play within the Air India crash.
This can be a developing story and might be updated shortly.
