An investigation team inspects the wreckage of Air India flight 171 a day after it crashed in a residential area near the airport, in Ahmedabad on June 13, 2025. (Credit: Sam Panthaky/AFP)
Lunch break at a doctors' hostel in India's Ahmedabad turned fatal for many in the dining area when parts of an Air India aircraft crashed through its roof as the plane hurtled to the ground moments after takeoff, killing more than 240 people.
Only one passenger survived the crash of the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner jet on Thursday, the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade. As many as 24 people on the ground were also killed, according to local media.
A day later, Thakur Ravi, who worked in the kitchen at the B.J. Medical College hostel, is still searching for his mother - a cook there - and his two-year-old daughter, who he left under her care.
The last time he saw them was before he set off to deliver lunch boxes to senior doctors at the hospital, about half an hour before the crash.
"All the other ladies who cook food at the hostel managed to escape, but my mother and daughter got left inside ... I have searched everywhere but have not found them," he told reporters on Friday.
At least four undergraduate students and five relatives of students were killed in the crash, a resident doctor, who is part of the junior doctors' association at the college, told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.
Images of the dining area shortly after the incident showed wheels and other parts of the aircraft embedded in the walls, while debris and belongings of the students, including clothes and books, lay scattered on the floor.
Steel tumblers and plates still containing some food lay on the few tables that were left intact, with a section of the aircraft that was partially wedged on top of the damaged building giving an indication of the devastation inside.
A strong stench of jet fuel hung in the air at the site on Friday, as authorities used cranes to remove charred trees and debris, while a portion of the wall of the top floor of the hostel lay on the ground.
Loud wails could be heard at the home of Akash, a resident of Ahmedabad who was charred to death as he rushed to save his mother who ran a tea stall near the hostel and was caught in the blaze of the crash but managed to escape.
"Her son ran in to save her but got blinded by the smoke and ... was completely burnt. He died in front of our eyes," Akash's aunt, Jasi, told Reuters, adding that his mother sustained burn injuries and was undergoing treatment.
'Biggest crisis yet' for Air India
The Air India plane crash plunged the airline into its biggest crisis yet and will pose a significant challenge to its efforts to revamp its reputation and fleet.
The following is a timeline of the airline's troubles since its takeover by the Tata Group in January 2022.
- January 2022: Auto-to-steel conglomerate Tata Group takes control of state-run carrier Air India in January 2022, in a $2.2 billion deal, ending years of struggle to privatise the financially troubled airline.
The Tata Group wants to recapture Air India's lost glory and compete with Gulf carriers, like Emirates, that capture the lion's share of west-bound Indian travellers. - January 2023: Air India faces criticism and around a $35,000 fine from the country's aviation regulator for its handling of an unruly passenger on a flight from New York in November 2022, and in December on a flight from Paris to Delhi. The regulator says the airline did not follow industry standards in its handling of the passengers.
- June 2023: An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco is forced to divert and land at an airport in Russia's Far East after it develops a technical issue with one of its engines.
A similar incident on the same route occurs in July 2024 due to a potential issue in the cargo hold area.
- March 2024: India's air safety watchdog fines the Tata Group-owned airline 8 million rupees (nearly $93,000) for violating flight duty time limitations and fatigue management systems of its flight crew.
Air India did not provide adequate weekly rest, adequate rest before and after ultra-long flights or adequate rest on layovers for flight crew, violating revised rules, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
- March 2025: Air India's $400 million overhaul of its legacy aircraft's interiors has been dogged by supply chain issues that have delayed its aim of being a world-class airline by months.
The first such upgraded jet enters service in March 2025, later than the mid-2024 target Air India had set when it announced the overhaul.
- May 2025: Air India says it expects to face around $600 million in additional costs if a ban from Pakistan's airspace lasts for a year, and asks the federal government to compensate it for the hit. Indian airlines braced for higher fuel costs a
Boeing chief cancels trip to Paris Air Show
Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg has cancelled his trip to next week's Paris Air Show, a major aviation industry event, to focus on the investigation into the Air India Dreamliner crash.
The crash has put the spotlight back on Boeing, which had been making progress under new leadership following concerns over the safety and quality of planes made by the U.S. aircraft maker.
The London-bound Air India flight was the first crash of a 787 Dreamliner, Boeing's flagship long-distance aircraft.
"Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of everyone onboard Air India Flight 171 and all those affected in western India," Ortberg said in a message to employees obtained by AFP on Friday.
He said he and executive vice president Stephanie Pope had been in contact with Air India's leadership "to offer our full support."
Ortberg added that he had spoken with the chair of the US National Transportation Safety Board, Jennifer Homendy, and "committed to her our full support to the investigative process."
Boeing is also supporting the probe by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau, which is leading the probe, he said.
"Safety is foundational to our industry and is at the core of everything that we do. Our technical experts are prepared to assist investigators to understand the circumstances, and a Boeing team stands ready to travel to India," he said.
The Paris Air Show at Le Bourget Airport opens on Monday.
"As our industry prepares to start the Paris Air Show, Stephanie and I have both