An Air India Boeing Dreamliner en route to London crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad airport on Thursday, in what could become one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters in nearly 30 years.
The aircraft, carrying 242 people, went down just minutes after departing from runway 23 at 1:39 pm, according to details released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The crash occurred within five minutes of takeoff.
Visuals from the crash site circulating on social media show a thick plume of smoke rising from the area, underscoring the scale of the incident.
Emergency services have been deployed, and further details on casualties and the cause of the crash are awaited.
This incident is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of flight safety protocols and aircraft maintenance procedures across Indian carriers.
June 12, 2025 | 4:45 PM IST
Emirates Airlines said it is “monitoring the situation in the region closely” but has not made any changes to its operations for now.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has issued an advisory acknowledging the disruption caused by runway restrictions and said affected passengers could rebook or claim a full refund.
“Our thoughts are with the families of those affected,” IndiGo stated, adding that its teams are on standby to assist customers during this difficult time.
June 12, 2025 | 4:30 PM IST
An IndiGo flight en route to Ahmedabad was forced to return to Kolkata shortly after take-off on Thursday, following the closure of Ahmedabad airport in the wake of a fatal Air India crash.
Flight 6E-318, which took off from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 1:49 PM with 179 passengers on board, was turned back mid-air, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) spokesperson confirmed.
The aircraft had departed from stand number 53 and returned to Kolkata at approximately 2:52 PM.
The diversion was prompted by the immediate suspension of operations at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport after the Air India flight crashed just minutes after departure.
No disruptions were reported during the return, and all passengers disembarked safely.
Further arrangements for the affected passengers are expected to be announced by the airline.
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