Prime Minister Narendra Modi has addressed Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu to review the fatal crash of Air India flight near Ahmedabad's Meghani Nagar, the Ministry of Civil Aviation confirmed on June 12.
The Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 242 individuals on board crashed just after taking off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad. The plane was traveling to Gatwick Airport, London, when it crashed.
It has been reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was informed by Minister Naidu, who has since departed for Ahmedabad to oversee the rescue and relief activities at the crash site directly.
"The Prime Minister has instructed the Minister to provide all support required and requested to be kept updated regularly on the situation," the ministry added.
The Ministry added that the concerned agencies are on high alert and working in close coordination to handle the post-disaster activities.
In its first formal response to the accident, Air India stated:
"Flight AI171 on Ahmedabad-London Gatwick was involved in an incident today, 12 June 2025. We are at this stage determining the facts and will release further details at the earliest."
The airline has confirmed passengers' nationalities on board: 169 Indians, 53 British, 7 Portuguese, and 1 Canadian. Among them was also former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, even though an official list of people aboard has not yet been released.
Captain Sumit Sabharwal was in command of the flight, supported by Co-pilot Clive Kunder.
Following the crash, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) operations are temporarily suspended. According to an airport official, "As a consequence of the Air India aircraft crash incident, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA), Ahmedabad, is not operational at present. All flight activities are suspended for the time being until further notice."
Emergency responders, including medical staff, fire departments, and police, are present as search and rescue operations continue.
Additional developments are anticipated as officials probe the reason behind the crash and strive to confirm the status of everyone aboard.
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