An Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon while en route to London Gatwick.
The airline confirmed that flight AI171, which departed at 1:38 pm (IST), was carrying 242 passengers and crew members.
Over 290 people are feared to have been killed in a plane crash, authorities said.
Hours before the crash, a passenger claimed on social media that he had flown on the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad.
“I was in the same d**n flight 2 hours before it took off from AMD. I came in this from DEL-AMD,” wrote entrepreneur Akash Vatsa on X. He also shared videos from the flight, alleging malfunctioning air-conditioning and inoperative in-flight entertainment systems.
In one video, Vatsa is heard saying, “We are almost about to taxi. But the AC is not working. Look at everyone. AC is not working at all. And as usual, the TV screens are not working. Not even the light is working. Is this what you are providing?”
The post went viral, garnering over 4 million views within two hours. Vatsa later added that he was not flying Air India again that night.
The authenticity of Vatsa’s claims has not been independently verified.
CCTV video emerges
Newly surfaced CCTV footage shows an Air India flight bound for London Gatwick crashing and catching fire shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in the Indian state of Gujarat.
The video captures the aircraft lifting off from the runway, but within seconds, it appears to struggle to gain altitude. The plane can be seen descending with its landing gear still deployed and nose tilted upward, before crashing near a built-up area.
The footage shows a large explosion upon impact, followed by thick black smoke rising from the crash site.
