Air India flight operated by Boeing 787 to London crashes near airport

　　Air India flight to London crashes near airport; Boeing falls over 8% after a Boeing 787-operated Indian flight crashes

　　New Delhi: An Air India plane with more than 200 people on board crashed near the airport in India’s western city of Ahmedabad, the airline and police officials said on Thursday, without specifying whether there were any fatalities.

　　Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was headed to London’s Gatwick airport in the United Kingdom, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a civilian area near the airport.

　　“At this moment, we are ascertaining the details and will share further updates at the earliest,” Air India said on X.

　　Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, the director general of the directorate of civil aviation, said the plane crashed into a residential area called Meghani Nagar five minutes after taking off at 1.38pm local time.

　　Gatwick Airport said the plane had been due to land in London at 6.15pm local time. It said on X that more information on the crash would follow.

　　Television channels showed debris on fire, with thick black smoke rising up into the sky near the airport. They also showed people being moved in stretchers and being taken away in ambulances.

　　246 people were on board the flight, police said.

　　India’s aviation minister said rescue teams had been mobilised.