A London-bound Air India plane, Thursday ,crashed minutes after take-off at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Ahmedabad airport.
Following the incident, Air India has shared its first official response on its X handle.
The crash occurred approximately five minutes after departure. The aircraft was under the command of Captain Sumit Sabharwal, with Clive Kunder as co-pilot. On board were 232 passengers, including 230 adults and 2 infants, along with 12 crew members, totaling 242 people.
The post read, “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick, was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest on our X handle.”
Former Chief Minister, Vijay Rupani is feared to be among the passengers aboard Air India flight AI 171, though official confirmation is still awaited. The flight, operated by a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, tragically crashed into a residential area in Meghani Nagar shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad at 1:38 PM on June 12, 2025.
Emergency teams at Ahmedabad airport were immediately activated, and thick smoke from the crash site was visible from a considerable distance. The DAW, ADAW, and one FOI, who were already in Ahmedabad for other assignments, have begun gathering detailed information about the incident as rescue and relief efforts continue.
Vijay Rupani is an Indian politician who served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from August 2016 to September 2021.
Born on August 2, 1956, in Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar), he has been a prominent leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Rupani’s political career spans several decades, during which he held various key positions including Mayor of Rajkot (1996–1997), Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha (2006–2012), and Gujarat state cabinet minister overseeing portfolios such as transport, labour, and water supply.
He represented the Rajkot West constituency in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and was also the president of the Gujarat BJP before becoming Chief Minister
Author: Maureen Ikpeama