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 bound 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, according to flight-tracking site FlightRadar24.
The cause of the crash wasn’t immediately known and could take months to determine. Under international protocols during crashes, the country where the incident took place will lead the investigation, along 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) and then it started to descend with an vertical speed of -475 feet per minute,” FlightRadar said on X.
Rescue team members work as smoke rises at the site where an Air India plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025.
Amit Dave | Reuters
“We are in contact with Air India regarding Flight 171 and stand ready to support them,” Boeing said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the passengers, crew, first responders and all affected.”
Flights at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, a major airport in the area, were temporarily suspended in the wake of the incident and resumed a few hours later, according to 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 ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site. 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 building at the site 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 more than 7% in premarket trading.
The incident occurred just before the high-profile Paris Air Show trade event set for next week, where both Boeing and rival Airbus were set to announce hundreds of aircraft orders.
Boeing has also been working to turn 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 in the Air India crash.
This is a developing story and will be updated shortly.
