244 People On Board: What Really Happened to the Air India Flight That Crashed Minutes After Takeoff?

An Air India aircraft, a Boeing 787 carrying 244 people, crashed shortly after taking off from the city of Ahmedabad in western India, heading to London’s Gatwick Airport in the United Kingdom. 

The crash occurred in a densely populated area called Meghani Nagar in Gujarat State, on Thursday, June 12, 2025. Onboard were 232 passengers, including nationals from India, the UK, Canada, Portugal, and 12 crew members. 

Firefighters in northwestern India told the French news agency AFP that the plane crash-landed at the airport. Early footage broadcast on Indian television showed thick black smoke billowing from the site. 

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation announced that the aircraft crashed just minutes after takeoff and veered off the airport premises. 

India’s Minister of Civil Aviation, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, expressed shock and deep sorrow over the crash. 

He said: “Rescue services are on alert, and all efforts are being made to deploy medical teams to the site as quickly as possible.” 

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stated that he stands in solidarity with the passengers and families of those who were on board the Air India flight heading to London Gatwick, which ended up crashing in Ahmedabad, India. 

He said: “The images emerging of the plane en route to London with many British citizens, which crashed in Ahmedabad, are truly heartbreaking. 

I continue to receive updates on the situation and am thinking deeply of the passengers and their families during this difficult and painful time.”