Air India has confirmed that 241 people on board its London-bound flight were killed when the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff from the Ahmedabad airport yesterday. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft was carrying 242 passengers and crew members. The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian national. The dead included several people on the ground. Former Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP leader Vijay Rupani was among the dead. One passenger, identified as Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash. According to Air India, of the 230 passengers, 169 were Indians, 53 British, seven Portuguese and one Canadian. The other 12 people on board were two pilots and 10 crew members. The pilot of the plane issued a ‘Mayday’ distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff at 1.39 pm. The ill-fated flight was under the command of Capt Sumeet Sabharwal along with First Officer Clive Kundar. While Sabharwal has 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar has 1,100 hours. Aircraft maker Boeing said in a statement that it is in contact with Air India and stands ready to offer any support to the Tata-owned airline. Shares of Boeing fell more than 4 per cent yesterday after the Air India plane crash. The plane involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, delivered to Air India in 2014.
