Indian aviation officials have confirmed that the final words of the pilot of the doomed Air India Flight 171, moments before the plane crashed into buildings near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, were Mayday distress calls.
“Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” the pilot said before the catastrophic crash that killed at least 270 people on Thursday.
The Boeing Dreamliner, with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport, began losing height seconds after take-off and erupted in a fireball as it hit buildings, in what has been the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
India has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected. The company said it will provide an interim payment of Rs2.5m (£21,000) each to the families of the deceased and to the survivor, to help address immediate financial needs, in addition to Rs10m (£85,000) in support announced previously by the Tata Group.
Meanwhile, dozens of anxious family members were waiting outside an Ahmedabad hospital to collect the bodies of victims.
Families in India with concerns can call Air India on 1800 5691 444. Those outside India can call the British Foreign Office on 020 7008 5000.
Read More
Key Points
- Pilot's last words were 'Mayday'
- India may ground Boeing 787 fleet – report
- Further body recovered from tail of plane, officials say
- Bodies returned to families as identities of victims confirmed
- Miracle sole survivor of Air India flight 171 reveals how he escaped the doomed plane
On the ground at Ahmedabad hospital as Air India crash death toll updated
07:45
,
Stuti Mishra
Pilot's last words were 'Mayday'
07:13
,
Stuti Mishra
Indian aviation officials have confirmed that the final words of the pilot of the doomed Air India Flight 171, moments before the plane crashed into buildings near Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, were Mayday distress calls.
“Thrust not achieved... falling... Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!” the pilot said before the catastrophic crash that killed at least 270 people on Thursday.
The call was received at air traffic control (ATC) seconds before all communications stopped.
Newlywed heading to London among Air India crash victims as family awaits her body
06:45
,
Stuti Mishra
Khushboo Rajpurohit, 21, was among the victims of the Air India Express crash. On Sunday, her family gathered outside the mortuary complex at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to collect her mortal remains.
“We have been told that the body will be handed over shortly. She last spoke to her father before he dropped her off,” a relative told The Independent.
Her uncle, Kishore Rajpurohit, 56, said Khushboo had only recently married and was preparing to start a new life in London.
“She got married on 17 January this year and was awaiting visa clearance to be able to travel to London and live with her husband,” he said.
Her father had gone to the airport to see her off.
“He waited till she boarded and had not even crossed Mehsana when we learnt of the crash,” Mr Rajpurohit added.
The family was informed on Sunday morning by a government-appointed nodal officer that a DNA match had confirmed Khushboo’s identity.
Ambulance drivers on standby as Gujarat officials begin transporting crash victims’ bodies
06:20
,
Namita Singh
Ambulance drivers from across Gujarat have been stationed outside Ahmedabad Civil Hospital as authorities begin handing over the bodies of victims from the Air India crash.
Mahindra Singh, a 45-year-old ambulance driver from Kheda, said he had been waiting since morning.
“I have come from Kheda. I’ve been told to carry two bodies. I’ve come just with the staff. I’ve been here since Saturday morning, around 10 or 11am,” he told The Independent.
Mr Singh explained that the coordination process is strictly managed by government officials.
“First I will receive a call that the body is ready for transportation. We are not supposed to contact the families. A nodal officer from here will inform the families at home that the mortal remains have been dispatched,” he said.
Bharat Godia, who arrived from Kutch, said they had brought multiple ambulances on orders from the district administration.
“We’ve been told by the Kutch administration that we are to bring back the bodies of those killed in the plane crash. We have at least five ambulances from Kutch. Government officials will be accompanying the bodies,” he said.
Earlier, a relative of one of the victims told The Independent that each bereaved family has been assigned a nodal officer, who will contact them once a DNA match has been confirmed.
Families begin receiving bodies of Air India crash victims under tight police security
05:44
,
Namita Singh
There is a heavy police presence around the mortuary complex at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, as the painful process of body handover begins.
According to officials on duty, at least 19 bodies have been handed over to the kin of the plane crash victims so far. However, there has been no official confirmation.
Watch | King holds minute's silence for Air India crash victims
04:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
‘My grandson was burnt alive’: Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground
03:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Watch | Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane
02:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
UK student missed doomed Air India flight by minutes: ‘It’s a miracle’
01:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Air India victims: Dr Prateek Joshi and family
Saturday 14 June 2025 23:59
,
Jabed Ahmed
Dr Prateek Joshi, a radiologist at the Royal Derby Hospital, was on the Air India flight with his family, Derby Hindu Temple said.
Dr Joshi had moved to Derby from India in 2021, a colleague who worked closely with him said.
Dr Rajeev Singh said: “He often entertained colleagues with stories about his passions outside of work, including his newly discovered love of fish and chips and enthusiasm for walking in the Peak District.
“He touched the lives of so many people, both through his clinical work and as a colleague and friend to many.
“It is hard to accept that a man with such a passion for life, and his beautiful young family, have been taken in this way.”
British victims on Air India: Jamie Ray and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek
Saturday 14 June 2025 23:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
A British couple who ran a spiritual wellness company were also thought to be among the victims.
Jamie Ray Greenlaw-Meek and his husband Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, from London, were returning home on the flight after a 10-day wellness retreat, Jamie Meek’s brother said.
Their company, the Wellness Foundry, which is in Vauxhall, south London, offers psychic readings, tarot cards and aura readings, and has worked with Netflix, Google and Dior.
Its website says Fiongal founded the company in 2018 after experiencing a spiritual awakening following a mysterious illness.
His husband joined the team in 2023 as co-director and head of events, and offered psychic readings and life coaching.
In January, Fiongal appeared on ITV’s This Morning to talk about the meanings of people’s auras. A clip shows him joking and laughing with presenters Cat Deeley and Ben Shephard before performing a reading.
On Instagram, the Wellness Foundry described the appearance as their “biggest gig so far”, adding that it was “very nerve-wracking” but that he was “honoured to chat about one of his favourite topics to such a big audience”.
As they waited to board their flight in Ahmedabad, the couple posted a video from the airport about their “magical experience” in India.
Miracle sole survivor of Air India flight 171 reveals how he escaped the doomed plane
Saturday 14 June 2025 22:00
,
Jabed Ahmed
Watch | On the ground at Ahmedabad hospital as Air India crash death toll updated
Saturday 14 June 2025 21:57
,
Jabed Ahmed
Recap: King remember victims of Air India plane disaster at Trooping the Colour
Saturday 14 June 2025 21:04
,
Holly Bancroft
The King has celebrated his official birthday with an eco-friendly flypast by the Red Arrows and remembered all those killed in the Air India plane disaster.
Trooping the Colour was a display of military pomp and pageantry but Charles asked for the traditional programme to include a minute’s silence, and for senior royals and officers taking part to wear black armbands as a mark of respect.
More than £370,000 raised to support two girls orphaned by Air India crash
Saturday 14 June 2025 20:01
,
Holly Bancroft
More than £370,000 has been raised for two children who were orphaned when their father was killed in the Air India plane crash.
Their father had travelling to India to scatter his wife’s ashes in her homeland, according to a fundraiser for the family.
Arjun Patoliya, 37, was killed 18 days after his wife Bharti had died from cancer, the GoFundMe page to support their daughters, aged four and eight, said.
The Briton had travelled to Gujarat to fulfil his wife's "final wish".
By Saturday afternoon more than £370,000 had been raised to help the girls.
The fundraiser, organised by Mr Patoliya's colleague, said: "Their mother, Bharti Patoliya, passed away after a courageous battle with cancer.
"Fulfilling her final wish, her husband Arjun Patoliya travelled to India to scatter her ashes in her homeland in Gujarat."
Recap: India urgently inspecting all Boeing 787s
Saturday 14 June 2025 19:04
,
Holly Bancroft
India is urgently inspecting all Boeing 787s after a devastating Air India crash that claimed at least 270 lives this week, the aviation minister said on Saturday, adding that the authorities were investigating all possible causes.
The aviation regulator on Friday ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuel-related checks.
"We have also given the order to do the extended surveillance of the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian fleet," aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told a media briefing in New Delhi.
"Eight have already been inspected, and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done."
Watch | Air India CEO says process of reuniting 'next of kin with their loved ones' has begun in latest update
Saturday 14 June 2025 18:28
,
Jabed Ahmed
Young girls orphaned after father dies in Air India plane crash on way back from scattering wife’s ashes
Saturday 14 June 2025 18:02
,
Holly Bancroft
Two young sisters have been left orphaned after their father died in the Air Indiaplane crash, just weeks after their mother died from cancer, Jabed Ahmed writes.
Arjun Patoliya had travelled to India to hold a funeral for his wife Bharti. After fulfilling his wife’s dying wish to scatter her ashes in Gujarat, Mr Patoliya boarded the Air India flight to Gatwick to return home to his two daughters, aged four and eight.
Air India announces £21,000 interim compensation for crash victims’ families
Saturday 14 June 2025 17:31
,
Jabed Ahmed
Air India will provide interim compensation of £21,000 to the families of those who died in the recent crash, as well as to the sole survivor, the airline has confirmed.
The payment is intended to help cover immediate financial needs and comes in addition to the £85,000 support already pledged by parent company Tata Sons.
“Our teams on the ground are doing everything possible to extend care and support during this incredibly difficult time,” the airline said in a statement on X.
“All of us at Air India are deeply saddened by this loss. We mourn with the families, loved ones, and everyone affected.”
The questions behind the Air India plane crash: What caused it and what happens next?
Saturday 14 June 2025 17:01
,
Holly Bancroft
Investigators are currently exploring what happened to cause the Air India flight bound for London to crash barely a minute after take-off.
Here are some of the answered and unanswered questions about the world’s deadliest air disaster in a decade.
‘My grandson was burnt alive’: Grief engulfs neighbourhood where Air India crash killed dozens on the ground
Saturday 14 June 2025 16:45
,
Holly Bancroft
Grief hangs heavy in Meghani Nagar in Ahmedabad, as the wreckage of a London‑bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner lies smouldering in the compound of BJ Medical College, reports Namita Singh.
The devastating crash – which took place around 2pm local time on Thursday – left emergency services scrambling amid thick plumes of smoke and debris, entire streets in shock and families shattered. All but one of the 242 people on board the flight were killed, but there were dozens more fatalities on the ground as the plane came down in a residential area.
Among those devastated by the unfathomable tragedy is the Patni family. Seventy-year-old Babibehen Babu Bhai Patni sits on the gritty communal floor of her residential society, utterly inconsolable.
She mourns her 12-year-old grandson Akash, whose life was tragically cut short, while her son and daughter‑in‑law suffered grievous injuries.
Read the full on the ground report here:
Pictured: Investigators work at the scene of the plane crash
Saturday 14 June 2025 16:32
,
Holly Bancroft
Investigators at the scene as a crane retrieves part of the fuselage of the Air India Boeing 787 on Saturday.
Families worried about delays in being reunited with loved ones' bodies
Saturday 14 June 2025 15:58
,
Holly Bancroft
While the Indian authorities are working to identify the bodies of people killed in the Air India crash, dozens of anxious family members have been waiting outside an Ahmedabad hospital in anticipation.
Rafiq Abdul Hafiz Memon, who lost four relatives in the incident, said he was not getting any answers from authorities.
"We have lost our children ... we are not understanding anything. Please help us get information about our children. Tell us when they are going to release their bodies," Memon said.
Another father was upset about not being able to get the body of his son, Harshad Patel, saying he was told by authorities it will take 72 hours for DNA profiling. "The authorities are trying to help but our patience is running out," he said.
Most bodies in the crash were badly charred and authorities are using dental samples to run identification checks.
At least 11 DNA samples have been matched so far, and authorities expect to hand over three bodies by Saturday evening, said Rajnish Patel, a senior official at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. He told reporters that the matching of samples was a meticulous process that had to be done slowly.
Jaishankar Pillai, a forensic dentist, told reporters on Friday they had the dental records of 135 charred victims, which can then be matched through reference to victims' prior dental charts, radiographs or other records.
Even for doctors, things are getting difficult, as the plane struck a hostel building of the B.J. Medical College, where many of the dead are undergoing identification checks.
"Most of us are struggling with our emotions and are mentally disturbed because of the loss of friends and colleagues," said one doctor who did not wish to be named.
"The loss of so many colleagues and friends in this incident is difficult."
Watch: Air India crash sole survivor recalls how he escaped plane
Saturday 14 June 2025 15:35
,
Holly Bancroft
‘It’s all very raw’: Twenty victims of the Air India plane disaster connected to the same London temple
Saturday 14 June 2025 15:02
,
Holly Bancroft
Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have been left in mourning after the Air India plane disaster claimed more than 240 lives on Thursday.
But one north-west London community, some 4,000 miles away from the Ahmedabad crash site, is feeling the impact more than most.
Twenty of the victims have connections to the same temple in Harrow, its leader has said, with multiple families now trying to come to terms with what has happened, Holly Evans writes.
Read more here:
Air India crash could trigger India's biggest aviation insurance payout
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:43
,
Holly Bancroft
The deadly Air India crash could become the most expensive aviation insurance claim in India’s history, insurance experts say.
The total liability could range from $211m to $280m (approximately £166m to £220m), according to estimates reported by Press Trust of India. This includes the full hull value of the aircraft, compensation for victims’ families under international aviation law, and payouts for third-party property damage and loss of life on the ground.
Read more from Stuti Mishra here:
Bodies returned to families as identities of victims confirmed
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:37
,
Namita Singh in Ahmedabad
Indian Administrative Service officer Alok Pandey and additional medical superintendent of Civil Hospital, Dr Rajnish Patel, are giving an update at the hospital where many of the injured are being treated.
At a press conference, they said one body has been handed over to the family of the deceased. Two more will be handed over later on Saturday.
11 DNA samples of the victims have been matched so far, they said.
And they said authorities have managed to get in touch with the families of all foreign nationals involved.
India's aviation regulator orders inspection of all Boeing 787s
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:36
,
Holly Bancroft
India's aviation regulator has ordered all Boeing 787s being operated by local carriers to be inspected after an Air India crash killed 270 people this week, the aviation minister said on Saturday, adding the authorities were investigating all possible causes.
The aviation regulator on Friday ordered Air India to conduct additional maintenance checks on its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuel-related checks.
"We have also given the order to do the extended surveillance of the 787 planes. There are 34 in our Indian fleet," aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu told a media briefing in New Delhi.
"Eight have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done."
Further body recovered from tail of plane
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:31
,
Namita Singh in Ahmedabad
A further body has been recovered from the tail of the plane, officials said on Saturday.
Giving an update at Civil hospital, in the Ahmedabad area where the crash happened, Indian Administrative Service Officer, Alok Pandey, said the body was in addition to the 241 already recovered but they refused to confirm the final death toll
King Charles wears black armband as mark of respect for Air India plane crash victims
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:24
,
Holly Bancroft
King Charles and other senior royals wore black armbands at the "Trooping the Colour" military parade on Saturday as a mark of respect for the victims of the Air India plane crash.
A minute's silence was held after the king inspected the parade, which marks his official birthday.
King Charles requested the changes "as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy", a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.
Full story: All we know about the Air India crash so far
Saturday 14 June 2025 14:10
,
Stuti Mishra
At least 270 people have been confirmed dead after an Air India flight bound for London crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, India, on Thursday, in what is now the world’s deadliest air disaster in a decade.
Here’s everything we know so far:
Full story: The lucky woman who missed the Air India flight
Saturday 14 June 2025 13:40
,
Stuti Mishra
A student has described the “miracle” of missing the Air India flight that crashed, killing 241 people on board.
Bhoomi Chauhan, 28, said she was angry and frustrated after a traffic jam on the way to the airport meant she missed boarding the flight by just ten minutes.
Ms Chauhan, a business administration student who lives in Bristol, said she was turned away by airport staff.
Read more:
Captain sent may day call less a minute after take off, authorities confirm
Saturday 14 June 2025 13:26
,
Holly Bancroft
The captain of the Air India flight that crashed on Thursday sent a distress call to air traffic control less a minute after take off, India’s aviation authorities confirmed on Saturday.
Captain Sumeet Sabharwal sent a may day call at 1:39pm. Samir Kumar Sinha, a secretary for India’s aviation ministry, said that “there was no response” when air traffic control responded to the emergency message.
Indian aviation authorities have said that “every theory going around about the crash will be looked at”.
Full story: Why did the Air India flight crash? Here’s how experts will investigate the 30-second disaster
Saturday 14 June 2025 13:10
,
Stuti Mishra
Investigators in India are trying to identify the cause of the Air India plane crash that killed all but one of the 242 passengers onboard.
The flight, which had been bound for London Gatwick, came down shortly after taking off from the western city of Ahmadabad.
With speculation rife about the cause of the disaster, safety experts will soon be joined by a team from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) to work out what happened before the disaster on flight AI171 unfolded.
Read more from our travel correspondent Simon Calder.
Friends remember ‘smiling’ doctor as family of five moving to London killed in Air India crash
Saturday 14 June 2025 12:40
,
Stuti Mishra
Dr Komi Vyas, a medical professional from Udaipur, had recently resigned from her position at a local hospital to begin a new life in London with her husband, Dr Prateek Joshi, and their three children.
That fresh start was tragically cut short when the Air India flight they were on crashed shortly after take-off in Ahmedabad.
A selfie taken on board the ill-fated Boeing 787 by Dr Joshi captures what would be their final family moment. In it, he and Dr Vyas are seen smiling in their seats, while their children – five-year-old twin boys, Nakul and Pradyut, and eight-year-old daughter, Miraya – sit across the aisle.
The couple, both doctors, were well known in Udaipur’s medical circles. They previously worked at Pacific Hospital before Dr Joshi moved to the UK several years ago. He had returned to their hometown of Banswara in Rajasthan earlier this week to accompany his wife and children back to London, where the family was planning to settle permanently.
A close friend and college mate of Dr Vyas, who requested anonymity, shared the devastating news with The Independent. “Komi was part of our 2004 MBBS batch – always smiling, full of charm. Even after college, we stayed in touch. She used to visit my clinic in Ahmedabad when she worked as an assistant professor in Rajasthan. The last time I spoke to her was in December – she had reached out about a consultation for her sister.”
He recalled how he found out about the tragedy. “I was in the operation theatre when the crash happened. Around 2pm, I got a call from my wife, who was also Komi’s classmate. She heard from a contact at Civil Hospital that Komi might have been on board the crashed flight. I rushed out of the OT and tried calling Komi, but there was no answer. Soon after, someone on our college WhatsApp group confirmed the devastating news
