Blab News
Families of Air India Crash Victims Still Grapple With Trauma a Year After Ahmedabad Disaster
A year after the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plunged into a student‑hostel complex in Ahmedabad on 12 June 2025, the echoes of that day linger in the lives of the survivors and relatives.
The crash, which claimed 260 lives, left 242 people aboard and 19 on the ground dead, with 67 injured, and only one passenger alive. The accident occurred moments after take‑off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, when the aircraft’s fuel‑control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF three seconds into flight, causing a loss of thrust in both engines.
In Diu, Rafik Arab has not flown since he lost his 25‑year‑old son Faizan, one of the passengers bound for London. “We haven’t flown since that day. Even the sound of a plane overhead unsettles us, a reminder of how 260 lives vanished in seconds,” he told PTI. Faizan had been studying Islamic studies in the United Kingdom and sent his last text to his father before boarding: “Papa, I have boarded the flight and I am going.” Mr. Arab’s wife and two younger brothers still struggle with the loss.
Survivors in Surat also carry the trauma. Mukti Vansadiya, a former travel‑agency employee, lost her parents, Divya and Arjunsinh, who were on their first international flight to London. “My parents were my only light,” she said. The couple had chosen the Ahmedabad departure so they could travel with Gujarati‑speaking passengers. After the crash, Mukti quit her job, spent months in counselling, and now works as a social worker with a Tata Group CSR initiative. “Whenever someone mentions airplanes, the trauma resurfaces and I grow anxious,” she said. She has resolved never to fly again.
In Banaskantha district, Savdhan Chaudhary’s son Kamlesh and daughter‑in‑law Dhapuben were killed when the aircraft crashed into the student‑hostel complex. “I still remember the last time I saw them; they were wearing the Chaudhary family's traditional attire at the Ahmedabad airport,” Mr. Chaudhary recalled. Kamlesh had been living in London and had returned to India to bring his wife after her spouse visa was approved. He had planned to take his parents to London after Deepavali and had discussed retirement plans with them. The loss has left the family in a state of grief and uncertainty.
Ajay Parmar, an eyewitness who was working as a gardener near the crash site, was injured when the plane struck the Meghaninagar hostel complex. “I suddenly heard a loud crash. Before I could understand anything, my hands and legs were burning,” he said. Parmar spent two months in treatment for severe burns and was unable to return to his previous work. His wife left him after the accident. “I still fear planes overhead. I witnessed that horrifying scene of nothing but fire, and sometimes I wake in the night unable to sleep again,” he said.
The accident remains under investigation. A preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on 12 July 2025 identified the fuel‑control switch malfunction as the cause but has not yet explained why the switches moved. Air India confirmed that the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
The crash is the deadliest aviation incident of the 2020s and the second deadliest in Air India’s history. It has prompted calls for stricter checks on fuel‑control systems in Boeing 787 aircraft. Families of the victims continue to seek support and compensation. The Gujarat government has set up a helpline for survivors and relatives, and the state’s health department has offered counselling services.
As the investigation proceeds, the people who lost loved ones or were injured remain in a state of ongoing grief and anxiety. Their stories highlight the human cost of aviation accidents and the long‑term impact on communities that survive the initial tragedy.
The crash, which claimed 260 lives, left 242 people aboard and 19 on the ground dead, with 67 injured, and only one passenger alive. The accident occurred moments after take‑off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, when the aircraft’s fuel‑control switches moved from RUN to CUTOFF three seconds into flight, causing a loss of thrust in both engines.
In Diu, Rafik Arab has not flown since he lost his 25‑year‑old son Faizan, one of the passengers bound for London. “We haven’t flown since that day. Even the sound of a plane overhead unsettles us, a reminder of how 260 lives vanished in seconds,” he told PTI. Faizan had been studying Islamic studies in the United Kingdom and sent his last text to his father before boarding: “Papa, I have boarded the flight and I am going.” Mr. Arab’s wife and two younger brothers still struggle with the loss.
Survivors in Surat also carry the trauma. Mukti Vansadiya, a former travel‑agency employee, lost her parents, Divya and Arjunsinh, who were on their first international flight to London. “My parents were my only light,” she said. The couple had chosen the Ahmedabad departure so they could travel with Gujarati‑speaking passengers. After the crash, Mukti quit her job, spent months in counselling, and now works as a social worker with a Tata Group CSR initiative. “Whenever someone mentions airplanes, the trauma resurfaces and I grow anxious,” she said. She has resolved never to fly again.
In Banaskantha district, Savdhan Chaudhary’s son Kamlesh and daughter‑in‑law Dhapuben were killed when the aircraft crashed into the student‑hostel complex. “I still remember the last time I saw them; they were wearing the Chaudhary family's traditional attire at the Ahmedabad airport,” Mr. Chaudhary recalled. Kamlesh had been living in London and had returned to India to bring his wife after her spouse visa was approved. He had planned to take his parents to London after Deepavali and had discussed retirement plans with them. The loss has left the family in a state of grief and uncertainty.
Ajay Parmar, an eyewitness who was working as a gardener near the crash site, was injured when the plane struck the Meghaninagar hostel complex. “I suddenly heard a loud crash. Before I could understand anything, my hands and legs were burning,” he said. Parmar spent two months in treatment for severe burns and was unable to return to his previous work. His wife left him after the accident. “I still fear planes overhead. I witnessed that horrifying scene of nothing but fire, and sometimes I wake in the night unable to sleep again,” he said.
The accident remains under investigation. A preliminary report released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau on 12 July 2025 identified the fuel‑control switch malfunction as the cause but has not yet explained why the switches moved. Air India confirmed that the flight carried 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian.
The crash is the deadliest aviation incident of the 2020s and the second deadliest in Air India’s history. It has prompted calls for stricter checks on fuel‑control systems in Boeing 787 aircraft. Families of the victims continue to seek support and compensation. The Gujarat government has set up a helpline for survivors and relatives, and the state’s health department has offered counselling services.
As the investigation proceeds, the people who lost loved ones or were injured remain in a state of ongoing grief and anxiety. Their stories highlight the human cost of aviation accidents and the long‑term impact on communities that survive the initial tragedy.
