Prime Minister Narendra Modi has intervened directly in the aftermath of the Air India Flight AI171 crash, which occurred shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on 12 June. The aircraft, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner en route to London Gatwick, went down in a densely populated residential area near Meghani Nagar, minutes after lifting off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The flight was carrying 242 individuals, including passengers and crew, with casualties feared.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Prime Minister spoke with newly appointed Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu and reviewed the unfolding rescue and relief operations. In response to the Prime Minister’s directive, Naidu is travelling to Ahmedabad to personally supervise efforts on the ground. The Union government has mobilised emergency services and placed all relevant agencies on high alert to manage the situation.
The crash has forced a temporary shutdown of Ahmedabad airport, with all flight operations suspended until further notice. An official statement from the airport confirmed the suspension was necessary to facilitate rescue access and manage the large-scale emergency response. Thick smoke and debris have made recovery operations difficult, with National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams deployed on-site.
The flight was piloted by Captain Sumit Sabharwal, a seasoned Line Training Captain with over 8,200 hours of flight experience, assisted by First Officer Clive Kundar, who had 1,100 hours logged. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reported that the aircraft had issued a ‘MAYDAY’ distress call before losing contact with air traffic control, indicating a possible technical failure. An official investigation has been launched, and black box recovery is underway.
Among the passengers on board were 169 Indian nationals, 53 British citizens, seven Portuguese, and one Canadian. Preliminary information suggests that former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani was also on the flight, although authorities have not confirmed his status. Air India issued a brief public statement confirming the incident and pledged full cooperation with investigative agencies.
As news of the crash spread, expressions of concern and condolences poured in across the country and from international governments. However, the tragedy has also reignited scrutiny of India’s aviation safety regime, particularly concerning the urban proximity of airports and the enforcement of no-fly zones near densely populated areas. Analysts have pointed to systemic gaps in civil aviation oversight and the need for deeper integration between urban planning and air safety regulations.
This incident underscores the growing risks of high-volume commercial aviation in India’s expanding cities, where infrastructure often fails to keep pace with traffic and emergency planning is limited. Civil society groups have demanded an audit of aviation infrastructure, crisis response protocols, and the viability of airports situated close to congested urban settlements.The Prime Minister’s rapid intervention signals a high-level acknowledgment of the disaster’s scale and potential implications for national aviation policy. While rescue operations continue, the central government’s immediate challenge is twofold: to provide timely support to victims’ families and to reassure the public that air safety in India will not be compromised.
As Gujarat mourns the tragedy and investigations proceed, questions remain about the sustainability of urban air operations and the country’s preparedness for such high-impact emergencies. This crash could become a defining moment for India’s civil aviation sector, pushing long-overdue regulatory and infrastructural reforms to the forefront of public policy.
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