THIS is the terrifying moment a packed passenger plane heading to London crashes in India with 242 people on board.
Disturbing video footage showed the Air India aircraft colliding with a residential area close to an airport in Ahmedabad, resulting in a massive fireball explosion.
The plane was headed to London Gatwick in the UK, Air India confirmed.
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew on board, the director general of the Directorate of Civil Aviation announced.
Read more HERE in our live coverage of the disaster
The airline said 53 Brits were on the flight.
Just moments before the incident, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner was seen flying low over the Meghani Nagar residential area, with the pilots seemingly making a frantic effort to maintain altitude.
Moments later it is seen disappearing behind buildings before a huge blast erupts in the distance.
Thick plumes of black smoke can be seen quickly pouring into the skies.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner’s final signal was received just seconds after take-off.
This was last logged at 1:38pm local time – less than a minute after it started the journey.
It had only reached 625ft at the time, officials believe.
In a statement the airline said: “Flight AI171, operating Ahmedabad-London Gatwick was involved in an accident on 12 June 2025.
“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest opportunity.”
Gatwick Airport confirmed the plane was due to land in London later today.
Out of the 242 on board, 169 were Indian travellers, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals alongside the Brits.
Officials are yet to comment on if there are any casualties.
The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services Department quickly deployed over five fire-fighting teams to the site as well as dozens of ambulances.
Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, the Civil Aviation Minister, said in a statement: “Shocked and devastated to learn about the flight crash in Ahmedabad.
“We are on the highest alert. I am closely overseeing the situation and have instructed all aviation and emergency response teams to respond quickly and in a coordinated manner.”
“Rescue teams have been mobilised, and all efforts are being made to ensure medical aid and relief support are being rushed to the site.
“My thoughts and prayers are with all those on board and their families.”
It is still unclear what caused the disaster.
The US-built Boeing 787 is one of the world’s most advanced airliners and the accident is the first fatal crash involving the plane.
There are more than 1,000 Dreamliners in service across the world.
It follows a number of deadly aviation disasters in recent months.
In December, 179 people died after a plane at Muan International Airport in South Korea crashed and smashed into a wall.
India’s dark aviation history
A LONDON-BOUND Air India flight crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.
The following are details of some other airline accidents in India in recent decades:
AUGUST 2020
At least 18 people died and 16 were severely injured when an Air India Express Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway in the southern city of Kozhikode during heavy rain, plunged into a valley and crashed nose-first into the ground.
MAY 2010
An Air India Boeing 737 flight from Dubai overshot the runway at the airport in the southern city of Mangaluru and crashed into a ravine, killing 158 people on board.
JULY 2000
More than 50 people were killed when a state-owned Alliance Air flight between Kolkata and the capital, New Delhi, crashed in a residential area of the eastern city of Patna.
