A major aviation tragedy struck Ahmedabad on June 12 when Air India flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London, crashed in the Meghani Nagar area just five minutes after takeoff. The aircraft, which had 242 people onboard including 230 passengers and 12 crew members was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kundar.

The flight had departed from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1:38 PM. Shortly after, a mayday call was issued by the copilot to Air Traffic Control. No further communication followed. The aircraft crashed into a residential zone, erupting into a fireball and sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky. Visuals from the crash site show significant destruction, suggesting the plane struck buildings upon impact.

Authorities confirmed that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was reportedly onboard the flight, based on the passenger manifest. Emergency response was swift, with seven fire engines dispatched immediately and three National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams comprising 90 personnel deployed from Gandhinagar. Additional teams from Vadodara were also mobilized to assist rescue efforts.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated that the flight had earlier operated a Delhi-to-Ahmedabad leg and that several of its airworthiness inspectors were already present in the city. Air India acknowledged the incident, assuring that detailed updates would follow as the situation develops. Meanwhile, an intensive search and rescue operation continues in the affected area, with authorities focused on locating survivors and investigating the cause of the crash.