The pilots of the Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed in Ahmedabad minutes after takeoff, had combined flying experience of 9,300 hours.
The ill-fated flight AI-171 was under the command of Captain Sumeet Sabharwal along with First Officer Clive Kundar.
While Sabharwal had 8,200 hours of flying experience, Kundar 1,100 hours, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
The Air India Ahmedabad-London flight, with 230 passengers and 12 crew members on board, crashed minutes after taking off at 1:39pm from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad.
Of these, 169 were Indian nationals and 53 were British nationals. There were also seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian on board the Air India flight.
The pilot of the twin-engine wide bodied aircraft issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after takeoff at 1.39 pm, the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad said.
Videos showed the jet losing altitude before crashing, triggering a ball of fire followed by thick plumes of smoke rising into the sky.
© 2025