An Air India Boeing Dreamliner plane with 242 passengers and crew aboard crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad in western India, local officials and the carrier said Thursday.
“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” Air India said in a post on X.
“With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India flight, AI 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today,” Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran said.
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.
The aircraft was bound for London Gatwick Airport.
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.
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.
“We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information,” Boeing said in a statement.
Flights at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, a major airport in the area, were temporarily suspended in the wake of the incident, an airport spokesperson said.
“I am deeply saddened by the accident of the Air India passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad. I have instructed the officials to take immediate rescue and relief operations in the accident and to make arrangements for immediate treatment of the injured passengers on a war footing,” Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on social media, according to a Google translation.
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.
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.
