Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday held discussions with Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and Home Minister Amit Shah to assess the situation following the crash of the London-bound Air India flight in Ahmedabad, according to sources.
The Civil Aviation Ministry stated that the minister informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about his plans to rush to Ahmedabad to personally oversee the rescue and relief operations on the ground.
According to sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has instructed both the Union Civil Aviation Minister and the Home Minister to rush to Ahmedabad and ensure that all possible assistance is provided to those affected by the air crash.
He has directed that immediate support be extended and has asked to be regularly updated on the situation.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also spoken to the Gujarat Chief Minister, assuring full support from the Centre.
As per a statement from the Home Minister’s Office, all concerned agencies are on high alert, and coordinated efforts are currently underway.
An Air India flight bound for London with 242 people on board crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport early today. The aircraft, operating as Flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, went down shortly after takeoff.
Confirming the incident, Air India said, “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad–London Gatwick, was involved in the incident.” The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sent a team to the crash site to begin investigation.
A senior DGCA official stated, “On 12th June 2025, Air India B787 Aircraft VT-ANB, while operating flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, has crashed immediately after takeoff from Ahmedabad. There were 242 people on board the aircraft, consisting of 2 pilots and 10 cabin crew.”
The aircraft was being flown by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain (LTC) with 8,200 hours of flying experience. He was accompanied by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had logged 1,100 flying hours, the official added.
As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad 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 the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen coming from the accident site, said the official.