Air India Blacks Out Social Media Headers, Display Pics Following Ahmedabad Crash

Air India has removed its social media header and display images after the airline's flight from Ahmedabad to London went down shortly after takeoff this afternoon. The airline's signature red profile pictures on Instagram, Facebook and X were changed to blackouts.

The airline has said it is cooperating with authorities looking into what caused the crash but hasn't confirmed what the cause of the crash is.

Also Read: ‘Mayday’ Call, No Response, Then Crash: Timeline of Ahmedabad Air India Tragedy

Emergency services have begun to attend to the crash site in the populated area of Ahmedabad that the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner went down in, and emergency services were dispatched shortly following studies of the area.

Sources suggest that there are very slim chances of any survivors.

Air India statement regarding the plane crash in Ahmedabad

The full-service airline confirmed flight AI171 crashed just minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with 242 people on board. The flight departed at 1:38 pm and crashed five minutes later.

There was a breakdown of the people on board: of the 242 total people on board, 2 were pilots, 10 were crew, and then 230 were passengers.

“The flight, which departed from Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs, was carrying 242 passengers and crew members on board the Boeing 787-8 aircraft. Of these, 169 are Indian nationals, 53 are British nationals, 1 Canadian national and 7 Portuguese nationals,” Air India said in a statement.

Also Read: Eyewitness Recounts Air India Crash Horror: “Dead Bodies and Debris All Over”

“The injured are being taken to the nearest hospitals,” it said, adding that “Air India is giving its full cooperation to the authorities investigating this incident.”

Mayday call before the crash

The plane issued a mayday call and "crashed immediately after takeoff", the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

Flight tracking information from FlightRadar indicated that the Air India flight reached an altitude of 625 feet before the crash event took place.

Flights departing from Ahmedabad airport have been suspended indefinitely.

Also Read: Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Alia Bhatt Calls Incident ‘Devastating’, Sends Prayers for All on Board