Tragedy struck in India on June 12, 2025, when Air India flight AI171—a Boeing 787 Dreamliner—crashed just minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London. The crash marks the first-ever fatal accident involving the Dreamliner, a model with a previously strong safety record.

The flight carried 244 people: 232 passengers (including 169 Indians and 53 British nationals) and 12 crew. The plane issued a mayday alert shortly after liftoff but lost contact at just 625 feet altitude. It crashed five minutes into the flight, slamming into a residential area near the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, hitting a doctors’ hostel at B.J. Medical College.