‘I Was in the Same Damn Flight 2 Hours Before It Took Off from AMD’: Passenger Claims He Noticed Faults, Recorded Video for Air India
‘I Was in the Same Damn Flight 2 Hours Before It Took Off from AMD’: Passenger Claims He Noticed Faults, Recorded Video for Air India
Ahmedabad/Delhi: Hours before a tragic crash involving an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, entrepreneur Akash Vatsa claimed he had flown on the same aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad. The same plane later took off for London and crashed near the Ahmedabad International Airport.
“I was in the same damn flight just two hours before it took off from AMD,” Vatsa wrote on X (formerly Twitter). He said he traveled on the aircraft from Delhi to Ahmedabad and noticed several issues onboard. “I noticed unusual things in the plane. Made a video to tweet to @airindia. I would want to give more details,” he added.
Vatsa posted a video from inside the aircraft, highlighting that the air-conditioning system wasn’t functioning and that the in-flight entertainment and reading lights were also not working.
“We are almost about to taxi. But the AC is not working. Look at everyone. Not even the lights are working. Is this what you are providing?” he said in the now-viral video, which gained over 4 million views within two hours.
In a follow-up post, he mentioned that he had chosen not to fly back to Delhi with Air India that night.
Air India Crash Details
Air India confirmed that flight AI171, en route from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off around 2:00 pm in the Meghaninagar area, close to the Ahmedabad airport. The aircraft was carrying 242 people, including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, one Canadian, and seven Portuguese citizens.
The airline stated that the Boeing 787-8 had departed at 1:38 pm before it met with the accident.
HT.com has not independently verified Akash Vatsa’s claims and has reached out to him for further comment. This report will be updated once a response is received.
