The Express understands that the last words heard over the radio during a Mayday call that Air Traffic Control did not have time to respond to was "engine failure". The flight crashed seconds later,
A total of 53 British nationals were on board a Gatwick airport-bound plane that appeared to explode when it crashed shortly after take-off, Air India has said.
The airline’s chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the incident as a “tragic accident” and a “devastating event” and said emergency response teams were at the site.
A video of the crash, obtained by local media, showed the aircraft fly over a residential area before crashing, creating what appeared to be a large explosion.
Plane crashes in western India's Gujarat after takeoff (Image: Anadolu via Getty Images)
Air India said the flight was departing from Ahmedabad airport with 242 people onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The airline said 169 passengers are Indian nationals, 53 are British, one is Canadian and seven are Portuguese.
The Reuters news agency reported that 217 adults and 11 children were on board the flight.
In a statement, Mr Chandrasekaran said: “With profound sorrow I confirm that Air India Flight 171 operating Ahmedabad London Gatwick was involved in a tragic accident today.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the families and loved ones of all those affected by this devastating event.
“At this moment, our primary focus is on supporting all the affected people and their families.
“We are doing everything in our power to assist the emergency response teams at the site and to provide all necessary support and care to those impacted.”
Air India Flight 171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner opera (Image: -)
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He added: “An emergency centre has been activated and support team have been set up for families seeking information.”
Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, director general of India’s directorate of civil aviation, told the Associated Press the crash happened in the Meghani Nagar area at 1.38pm local time (9.08am BST).
Mr Kidwai said there were 232 passengers and 12 crew members onboard.
It is the first crash involving a Boeing 787 aircraft, according to the Aviation Safety Network database.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on social media platform X: “We are following reports of a crash of Air India flight #AI171 from Ahmedabad to London.
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