India File Special Edition: India's deadly air crash

By Ira Dugal, Editor Financial News, with global Reuters staff

The crash of Air India flight 171, bound for Britain's Gatwick Airport from Ahmedabad in western India's Gujarat state, killed more than 240 people. It was the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade and the first involving a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

This special edition of India File wraps up developments surrounding the event.

CRASH RIGHT AFTER TAKEOFF

Air India flight 171 was in the air for just about a minute before it crashed on Thursday with 242 people on board. Only one survivor has been confirmed in the disaster, which also killed people on the ground when the aircraft hit a medical college hostel.

Relatives had been asked to give DNA samples to identify the dead, authorities said.

The cause of the crash was not known and Indian aviation authorities said a formal investigation had begun, with both Boeing and engine maker GE Aerospace saying they would join the investigation.

Video of the aircraft showed landing gear was down at a phase of the flight when it would typically be up, while local media reports and analysts said the engines would likely be one area for investigation.

"The flight path after takeoff shows a slow rate of climb before a rapid descent, suggesting loss of power on takeoff, which would most likely be traced to the engines," Bernstein analysts said in a note.

The lone confirmed survivor of the flight, a British national of Indian origin who was sitting in an exit row in seat 11A, told Indian media he had heard a loud noise shortly after takeoff.

The accident was the first fatal air crash in India since 2020. Read here for the deadliest civilian air crashes in India.

Passengers on the flight included 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian, Air India said.

AIR INDIA AND BOEING

The disaster comes at a difficult time for Air India, a 93-year-old airline that was owned by the government of India until 2022, when industrial conglomerate Tata Group took it over in a $2.2 billion deal.

The deal was seen as a victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had been trying to privatise the cash-guzzling airline in hopes it could be resuscitated by deep-pocketed owners.

This June report details Air India's expansion plans. Read this story for a look at the headwinds confronting Modi's aviation ambitions.

Shares of listed Indian airlines fell early on Friday, with Air India competitors Indigo Airlines and SpiceJet both down 4%. Air India's shares are not listed. Insurance stocks also fell, with India's Economic Times reporting that the crash could result in India's largest aviation insurance claim, exceeding $120 million.

Shares of Boeing fell 5% after news of the crash. Boeing's new CEO has been trying to rebuild trust following a series of safety and production challenges.

The crash is the first for a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which has been in operation since 2011. The Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and aviation experts say it has established a generally strong safety record.

Read here for more on those challenges, now complicated by the Ahmedabad crash.

IN QUOTES

Leaders from around the world reacted to the devastating crash.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on social media platform X: "The tragedy in Ahmedabad has stunned and saddened us. It is heartbreaking beyond words."

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: "The scenes emerging of a London-bound plane carrying many British nationals crashing in the Indian city of Ahmedabad are devastating."

GRAPHICS

Flight AI-171 took off from Ahmedabad Airport at 1:39 p.m. (0809 GMT). Shortly afterward the pilot issued a "Mayday" call, signalling an emergency. That was the last communication from the aircraft before it crashed.

Click on this report to understand the path of flight of Air India 171 and where it crashed.

Over the past decade, commercial jet accidents have occurred during nearly every phase of flight, with landings accounting for the largest share.