Air India flight crashes on takeoff in Ahmedabad, over 100 onboard

An Air India aircraft bound for London’s Gatwick Airport crashed on takeoff from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday, according to initial reports. The flight, AI171, was carrying more than 100 people at the time of the incident.

There is no official confirmation yet on casualties or injuries.

India's Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, expressed deep concern over the crash. "We are on highest alert. I am personally monitoring the situation and have directed all aviation and emergency response agencies to take swift and coordinated action," he said in a statement. He confirmed that rescue teams had been deployed and that medical and relief support were being rushed to the site.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that the aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. "We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London. We received the last signal from the aircraft at 08:08:51 UTC, just seconds after takeoff," the platform posted on X.

Authorities are expected to release further updates as the situation develops.