‘This is a difficult day for all of us’: Air India CEO Campbell Wilson gives details of the tragic Ahmedabad-London plane crash

India witnessed one of the worst plane crashes in its history on June 12, as a London-bound Air India flight went down shortly after take-off. Addressing the incident, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson provided details in a video statement released in the evening.

“I would like to express our deep sorrow about this event. This is a difficult day for all of us at Air India, and our efforts now are focused entirely on the needs of our passengers, crew members, their families and loved ones,” Wilson said.

He shared some of the details about the accident in the statement. “Air India flight AI 171 operated with the Boeing 787 Dash 8 aircraft travelling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, has been involved in an accident after takeoff. Flight AI 171 was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board. Of the passengers, 169 are Indian nationals. 53 are British nationals. There are 7 Portuguese nationals. And one Canadian National,” Wilson said.

While he did not provide an estimate of the number of casualties or injured individuals, he assured: “Injured passengers have been taken by local authorities to the nearest hospitals. We are actively working with the authorities on all emergency response efforts.”

A special team of caregivers from Air India is also expected to arrive in Ahmedabad soon, Wilson said, to provide additional support.

Addressing the cause of the accident, Wilson said that investigations will take time. He added that the airline is doing everything it can at the moment and has set up two hotline numbers, one for Indian passengers and another for foreign nationals, to help friends and families of those affected reach out to the company.

Wilson assured, “we will continue to share accurate and timely information as soon as we can. That anything we report must be accurate and not speculative, we owe that to everyone involved. For now, our teams are working around the clock to support passengers, crew and their families, as well as investigators, however we can.”

Air India flight AI 171, which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, marks the first fatal accident involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft, delivered in 2014, was one of 47 Dreamliners sold to Air India out of more than 2,500 delivered globally. Boeing said it is in contact with Air India and ready to support the airline, expressing condolences to all those affected. The plane was powered by GE Aerospace engines, and the company confirmed it has activated its emergency response team and will assist with the investigation.