Air India crash: Hundreds dead after Boeing 787 comes down

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Boeing's 787 Dreamliner had strong safety record before Ahmedabad crash

The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner which crashed in Ahmedabad is one the world's most advanced aircraft.

Unlike Boeing's 737 Max series, the Dreamliner has had a strong safety record, with no fatal accidents until Thursday's crash, in which all 242 people on board died.

The plane that crashed in Ahmedabad is the smallest of three types of 787, and was delivered in 2014.

The 787 Dreamliner entered commercial service in 2011. Boeing has sold more than 2,500 787s, of which 47 were sold to Air India.

The plane can normally hold up to 248 passengers, while the larger 787-9 can carry up to 296 people, according to Boeing.

"We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a post on X.

Thursday's crash is the first deadly incident involving a Boeing 787 DreamlinerImage: Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto/picture alliance

The 787 is powered by twin engines, which are supplied by American firm GE Aerospace or Rolls-Royce from the UK.

The engines on the plane that crashed were provided by GE. In a post on X, GE said it was "deeply saddened" by the incident, adding that the company is "prepared to support our customer and the investigation."

While this is the first fatal incident involving a Dreamliner, there have been previous accidents. 

In July 2013, an Ethiopian Airlines flight — which had no one on board — caught fire while on the ground at London's Heathrow airport after a short-circuit.

That same year, the global 787 fleet was temporarily grounded after lithium batteries overheated on two Japan Airlines planes in Tokyo and Boston. That incident led to design changes.

Last year, at least 50 people were injured when a LATAM Airlines 787 suddenly dropped in midair on a flight from Sydney to Auckland. 

Investigations into that incident found that it was caused by an involuntary movement with the pilot's seat.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Air India CEO expresses 'deep sorrow' over fatal crash

Air India's CEO Campbell Wilson has issued a video statement following the deadly crash in Ahmedabad.

"This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones," Wilson said.

He said a team of "caregivers" from Air India was headed to the city in western India to provide additional support to authorities and emergency responders.

A special team of caregivers from Air India is on their way to Ahmedabad to provide additional support.

"Investigations will take time, but anything we can do now we are doing," Wilson said.

He added that the company will continue to provide information about the crash. 

"But anything we report must be accurate and not speculative. We owe that to everyone involved," Wilson said.

He said Air India teams were working "around the clock" to support passengers, crew and their families, as well as investigators. 

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Air India owner to compensate crash victims' families

The crash is the world's worst aviation disaster in more than a decadeImage: Handout/Xinhua/SpotNews/IMAGO

The Tata Group, the majority owner of Air India, has said it will compensate the families of those who died in the Air India crash on Thursday.

The group will also provide support to rebuild the medical college hostel in Ahmedabad that was destroyed when the aircraft crashed into it.

"We are deeply anguished by the tragic event involving Air India Flight 171," the company's chairman N Chandrasekaran said in a statement on X.
 
"No words can adequately express the grief we feel at this moment," the statement added.

Tata Group will provide 10 million rupees ($116,800; €100,852) to the families of each of the people who died in the incident.

They will also cover the medical expenses of the injured, as well as provide support for the B J Medical college's hostel to be rebuilt.

"We remain steadfast in standing with the affected families and communities during this unimaginable time," N Chandrasekaran concluded.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Portugal PM reacts to plane crash with 'deep dismay'

Portugal's Prime Minister Luis Montenegro has expressed his condolences and "deep solidarity" with the relatives of the victims of the Air India crash.

The London-bound plane, which was carrying 242 people including seven Portuguese citizens, crashed shortly after taking off from the western Indian city of Ahmedabad.

"It was with deep dismay that I learned of the tragic plane crash in India, in which seven citizens with Portuguese nationality were travelling," Montenegro said on X.

"On behalf of myself and the Government, I would like to express my condolences and deep solidarity with the families of the victims," the prime minister added.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

More than 200 bodies recovered, police say

Ahmedabad police have said that 204 dead bodies have been recovered so far from the site of a passenger plane that was carrying 242 people which crashed into a populated area shortly after takeoff.

Commissioner GS Malik told reporters that police had found "204 bodies" and that 41 people "were under treatment."

The fatalities include those who were on the plane and those who were in the building the aircraft crashed into.

"The building on which it has crashed is a doctors' hostel ... we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon," according to a senior police officer.

Indian television reported that medical students had been killed, as the aircraft had crashed into the dining area of the state-run B.J. Medical College hostel.

The crash occurred minutes after takeoff at 1:39 p.m local time, so the dining area was likely full of people during their lunch hour.

"Rescue work is ongoing," Malik said.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Boeing 'ready to support' Air India after crash

American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has said its teams are in contact with Air India, whose Flight 171 crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad.

"We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them," Boeing said in a post on X. 

"Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected," the statement added.
 

Boeing's image has been severely dented in recent years after a different aircraft, the 737 Max, was involved in two major crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019.

Thursday's crash is the first fatal incident involving its 787 Dreamliner, which was first used in a commercial flight in 2011.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Canada PM Mark Carney 'devastated' by news of crash

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he was "devastated to learn" of the Air India crash, in which all 230 passengers and 12 crew are feared to have died.

One Canadian passenger was also on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner which crashed into a populated area of Ahmedabad in western India.

"My thoughts are with the loved ones of everyone on board," Carney said on X.
                 
The prime minister added that "Canada’s transportation officials are in close contact with counterparts" and that he was "receiving regular updates as the response to this tragedy unfolds."

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

King Charles, Queen Camila 'desperately shocked' by crash

The United Kingdom's King Charles III has reacted to the news of the Air India plane crash, saying he and his wife Queen Camila "have been desperately shocked by the terrible events in Ahmedabad this morning."

"Our special prayers and deepest possible sympathy are with the family and friends of all those affected by this appallingly tragic incident," the King said in a statement posted by Buckingham Palace on X.

He also paid tribute to the "heroic efforts" of emergency responders in the western Indian city and "all those providing help and support at this most heartbreaking and traumatic time." 

More than 50 UK citizens were on board the plane.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

International regulators to help with probe — aviation expert

Firefighters will have to deal with the blaze before inquiries into the cause of the crash can beginImage: Amit Dave/REUTERS

International regulators are expected to travel to the crash site to assist local authorities in the investigations, aviation expert Julian Bray told DW.

A team from the UK's Civil Aviation Authority and a team from Boeing will also take part in the post-crash inquiries.

Bray said investigators will try to recover the black boxes, which is a voice data recorder that records all the conversations in the cockpit, and another recorder which records "every switch that has been pulled and every relay that has been deployed."

"All that will be fitted together, and it's all on the timeline, so they can actually recreate (the crash) once they recover the black boxes," he said.

Once the fire on the ground has been dealt with and authorities declare a "recovery operation" — meaning they no longer expect to find any survivors — the area will be cordoned off, and "every last piece of debris" will be retrieved and taken to a warehouse where investigators can reconstruct the aircraft.

"They're trying to find out where the source of this incident is, whether, in fact, it is a security issue or whether it is a mechanical issue," Bray said.

The expert said that because the crash occurred shortly after the plane took off in a "huge conflict zone," investigators have to be "alert" to the possibility that this was a deliberate act.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

'No survivors' expected, Ahmedabad police chief says

The police chief for Ahmedabad has said there do not appear to be any survivors following the Air India crash.

"It appears there are no survivors in the plane crash," Commissioner GS Malik said. 

Malik added that it was likely that there were "casualties" from people who were in the area where the plane crashed.

He said that since the plane had crashed in a residential area that also has offices, "some locals would have also died," adding that precise figures were "being ascertained."

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Boeing shares down nearly 8% in premarket US trading

Shares of the aerospace manufacturing giant Boeing fell nearly 8% in premarket trading after the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crashed on Thursday.

The aircraft is one of the most modern in aircraft passenger transportation and news of the crash comes as the planemaker attempts to rebuild trust following a series of catastrophic incidents.

Crashes involving two Boeing MAX 8 aircraft — Lion Air Flight 610 in Indonesia in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019 — both occurred shortly after takeoff and a subsequent investigation found that faulty software installed on the planes, kept pushing their noses down.

It is not immediately clear what caused the crash and Boeing said in a statement it was aware of initial reports and was working to gather more information.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

Crash is a 'major, catastrophic disaster' — aviation expert tells DW

Footage showed burnt out wreckage at the site of the crashImage: Amit Dave/REUTERS

DW News has spoken to Julian Bray, an aviation expert from the UK, who said his initial impression of the incident "doesn't look good."

Bray said the incident appears to be a "major, catastrophic disaster," and that his thoughts were with all those affected.

"There are emergency teams on site and trying to find out exactly what did happen and how it happened," Bray said.

Analyzing available footage of the crash, Bray said "we see a white puff of smoke near the engine area … then almost immediately, we see a fireball behind a group of houses."

"It appears to be a puff of smoke coming from an engine before it starts its rapid descent, and then we see the fireball. So something has happened at 625 feet, and the pilot was able to get a mayday call out so he was aware of something," Bray explained, adding that the content of that call is as yet unknown.

He said initial reports suggest the Boeing 787 Dreamliner had crashed into a building next to a hospital.

"At the moment, it's a search and rescue operation, which means that they are hoping to rescue survivors," Bray explained, adding that "we have had survivors from this type of incident before."

But, he added, "the initial videos are not good."

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

WATCH: Air India flight crashes with more than 240 people on board

An Air India flight has crashed near the city of Ahmedabad in western India. Images from the crash site show burnt buildings and extensive damage on the ground.

Police say more than 240 people were on board the aircraft, which was traveling to London.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

UK foreign office 'working with local authorities'

The United Kingdom's Foreign Office said in a statement that it was aware of the plane crash in Ahmedabad and that the UK "is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support to those involved."

The Foreign Office said that British nationals requiring consular assistance and those who had concerns about friends or family should make contact.

"British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000," the Foreign Office said on its website.

06/12/2025June 12, 2025

UK PM Starmer reacts to 'devastating' plane crash

The prime minister of the United Kingdom, Keir Starmer, has described the scenes from the Air India plane crash which was heading for London as "devastating."

"The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating," Starmer said on X.

"I am being kept updated as the situation develops, and my thoughts are with the passengers and their families at this deeply distressing time," he added.

More than 50 British nationals were on board the flight at the time of the crash, according to Air India.

British Foreign Minister David Lammy has also reacted to the news, posting on X that he is "deeply saddened."

"The UK is working with local authorities in India to urgently establish the facts and provide support," Lammy added.