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Air India Ltd.

Air India Flight AI 171 Crashes in Ahmedabad

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

A devastating air disaster occurred on board an Air India flight bound for Gatwick Airport, when the Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed just minutes after take-off in Ahmedabad, India. The flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 53 Brits, was on its way to London when it crashed into a residential area near the airport. The crash site is at the student mess hall of the B J Medical College, just 2km from the end of the runway at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Air India flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8, was carrying 242 passengers and crew, including 169 Indians, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian.
  • The flight was on its way to Gatwick Airport in London when it crashed just five minutes after taking off at 1:38 p.m. local time.
  • The crash site is at the student mess hall of the B J Medical College, which was populated with medical students eating their lunch.
  • Multiple injuries have been reported among the students who were in the dining room, and they are being treated at the nearby Civil Hospital Ahmedaba.
  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer expressed his thoughts and sympathies to the passengers and families affected by the crash.
  • Air India's chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran, has expressed his profound sorrow and is working to support the emergency response teams and provide aid to those impacted.

Statistics:

  • 242 passengers and crew on board the flight
  • 169 Indians, 53 Brits, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian on board
  • 11 children believed to be on board the flight
  • 625 feet, the altitude at which the last signal was received from the plane
  • 1:38 p.m. - the time of take-off
  • 2km - the distance of the crash site from the end of the runway
  • 5 million - the population of the city of Ahmedabad

Sources:

  • The Mirror
  • Flight Radar
  • Gatwick Airport's official social media account
  • India's Prime Minister, Keir Starmer
  • Air India's chairman, Natarajan Chandrasekaran
  • India's Civil Aviation Minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu

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