Aviation regulator DGCA has confirmed that the pilot of the ill-fated Air India flight AI-171 issued a Mayday call moments after take-off from Ahmedabad on Thursday afternoon. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, carrying 242 people, crashed shortly after departure, with several casualties feared.
According to the DGCA’s preliminary report, the aircraft departed from Runway 23 at 1:39 pm IST. “Soon after departure, the flight gave a Mayday call to Ahmedabad Air Traffic Control,” the statement read. “Subsequent attempts by ATC to re-establish contact went unanswered.”