Latest news with #Flight171
ITV News
an hour ago
- General
- ITV News
Air India Flight 171: Disaster in the Skies
Air India Flight 171: Disaster in the Skies - A week of reporting from ITV News correspondents around the world on the Air India Flight 171 plane crash - one of the deadliest aviation disasters in modern history. Narrated by Sangita Lal. More info
Mint
8 hours ago
- Mint
Air India crash: Demand for emergency exit seats surges, flyers want to book ‘11A' after Ahmedabad tragedy
Belief in destiny or just peace of mind? Passengers scramble to book the same seat occupied by the sole survivor of a recent Air India crash. Demand for seat 11A on flights has soared across India after it emerged that the only survivor of last week's Air India Flight 171 crash was seated there, The Times of India reported. The seat, located next to an emergency exit on some aircraft, has now taken on an almost mythical status, with passengers requesting it regardless of safety data or seat configuration. 'It has to be a seat next to the emergency exit. I am willing to fork out any extra amount for it,' said Jitender Singh Bagga, a businessman preparing for a flight to the United States, speaking to the news outlet. 'If seat 11A is next to the emergency door of the British Airways flight I intend to take… I want to be in it.' The renewed interest comes after Viswash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national, walked away with minor injuries from the crash that claimed 241 lives. Ramesh was seated in 11A, adjacent to an emergency exit, and was seen in widely circulated footage staggering away from the wreckage while speaking on his phone. His miraculous escape has sparked a wave of superstition-fueled behavior among travelers. 'I know that life and death is a matter of destiny, but I still want to have my best shot,' said Rajesh Bhagnani, a Kolkata resident, was quoted as saying. 'Nothing like seat 11A if there is an emergency exit next to it.' According to Anil Punjabi, a national committee member of the Travel Agents Federation of India, some fliers are even asking for seat 11A regardless of where it's located on the aircraft. 'It has got to do with mindset and belief in luck. The fliers say it is for their peace of mind,' explained Anjani Dhanuka, regional chairman of the Travel Agents Association of India, in his remarks. 'The seat number offers mental peace,' he added. Ramesh, who was discharged from an Ahmedabad hospital on Wednesday, has not spoken publicly since the crash, but his story continues to reverberate in the public imagination — and on travel booking sites. For some passengers, seat 11A now represents more than just a seat — it's a symbol of hope, luck, and the human instinct to do whatever it takes to survive. Adding to the mystique around seat 11A is a chilling coincidence shared by Thai actor-singer Ruangsak 'James' Loychusak, who revealed he was also seated in 11A when he survived the 1998 Thai Airways crash in Surat Thani that killed 101 people. Now 47, Ruangsak said he got goosebumps upon learning that Viswash Kumar Ramesh — the sole survivor of the recent Air India tragedy — had also been in seat 11A.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
‘Beloved' airline's flight cuts short ex-AI loader's life
Ahmedabad: After Rajendra Patankar's long and dedicated service to Air India (AI), it was Flight 171 from his beloved airline that wrote his final chapter. The 63-year-old former Air India cargo loader was merely 20 minutes away from completing his morning shift as a Gujarat Industrial Security Force (GISF) jawan at Atulyam-4, when destiny dealt its cruel hand. Caught in the searing impact of the AI plane crash, he ran out of the building, partially burned. The miracle that got Rajendra out alive ended Wednesday evening when he succumbed to his injuries at Civil Hospital. Rushed to the hospital with 33% burns across his face, forearms, and hands, Patankar remained conscious through most of the six days, even walking and speaking with his family. His son Vishal, 37, who works with AI's security unit, was mobilised to help with rescue operations, and only learnt of his father's condition later. "My father said he recognised the sound of aircraft engines just before the blast. Look at the irony of fate. He loved Air India. It gave him a life. None of us had imagined it would also take it away," said Vishal. Vishal, his younger brother Ankit, 35, and their mother Meena, 61, found Rajendra alert at the hospital. "He talked, joked, recognised his colleagues, and even some of the doctors whom he knew from his three years at BJ Medical College and Atulyam." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025: Steel Suppliers From Mexico At Lowest Prices (Take A Look) Steel Suppliers | search ads Search Now Undo By the fourth day, Rajendra grew anxious. "With so many doctors visiting him, he began thinking something was wrong," Vishal said. The anxiety spiked during a dressing replacement for his deep tissue burns, which amplified the pain. The next day, he lost consciousness and was placed on ventilator as his heart struggled to maintain the required oxygen level in his blood. His body gave up the fight the following evening. Doctors attempted CPR six times, but failed to resuscitate him. On Thursday, GISF personnel gathered in large numbers. Rajendra was given a salute of honour at the BJMC campus, said senior GISF inspector Girish M Thakur. His body was escorted in a police-protected convoy that passed through Meghaninagar, before reaching the crematorium in the Ashok Mill area. A man who worked most of his life around aeroplanes, was laid to rest in the shadow of one.
Time of India
12 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
AI 171 crash: Tiffin delivery man saves 80 medicos but loses daughter, mother in crash in Ahmedabad
1 2 Ahmedabad: Every day for the past 15 years, Ravi Thakor and his family — residents of Meghaninagar — served food to doctors on the Civil Hospital campus at Asarwa. On June 12, their tiffin service unknowingly saved 80 doctors, who were spared from becoming victims of the Air India plane crash, because they stayed back to have their tiffin instead of going to the mess. But in an unbearable twist of fate, Ravi lost his two-year-old daughter and his 52-year-old mother in the same tragedy. Ravi's family cooks and caters food at the hostel mess on BJ Medical College campus. On that fateful day, Ravi and his wife Lalita, both in their 30s, along with Ravi's father Prahlad Thakor and a relative, left at 1pm to begin delivering tiffin carriers to doctors working in the wards. Their little daughter Aadhya wanted to come along, but Ravi, concerned about the summer heat, left her in the care of his mother Sarla Thakor, who was cooking food at the mess. "She would have cried to come with us. So, we quietly stepped out when she was calm," Ravi said, holding back tears. "It was routine work: fill the containers, deliver the food, wash the utensils, and prepare for the next day. But we knew that we would not be able to carry Aadhya around as we made heavy deliveries in the heat." They went about their routine. But around 1.40pm, the rhythm broke. Ravi heard a deafening blast. Flames and black smoke rose. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Install the Perfect Pool at Home – Start Here Backyard Pool | Search Ads Learn More Undo Air India Flight 171 had crash into the mess building where he had left his mother and daughter. "We rushed to the spot, but police and others stopped us. Some doctors hinted at what might have happened. They asked us to give DNA samples," Ravi said. The family clung to hope. For two days, Ravi and Lalita visited the site, praying Sarla and Aadhya were missing, not gone. But on Thursday morning, DNA reports confirmed the unthinkable. They both had perished in the crash. "We cremated them on Thursday. Our life revolved around serving food, and now we are left with this silence," Ravi said quietly.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
AI 171 crash: Survey of Ahmedabad airport surrounding areas to be conducted, says district collector
Ahmedabad: A survey of the surrounding areas of the Ahmedabad airport will be conducted in the wake of last week's Air India Flight 171 crash that claimed 270 lives, a top district official said on Thursday. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board crashed into a medical hostel complex in the Meghaninagar area moments after it took off from the city airport in the afternoon of June 12. The ghastly air crash and subsequent fire killed 241 of the passengers and crew members, and others on the ground. "As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s guidelines, a survey of areas surrounding the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here will be conducted by the officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Civil Aviation department," Ahmedabad district collector Sujeet Kumar told reporters. "Once the survey gets over, subsequent necessary work will be initiated," he said. The civil aviation ministry has released a draft of the Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 2025, to tighten controls on structures that pose a threat to aircraft safety near airports. In the last week's tragedy, the aircraft departed from the Ahmedabad airport at 1.39pm and its pilot issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after take-off to the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad. Moments later, the plane smashed into the BJ Medical College campus located outside the airport compound. All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the ill-fated plane, and others on the ground were killed. PTI
