Air India plane crash: How many Boeing 787 have crashed, numbers in service - as company issues statement after fatal crash near Ahmedabad Airport

Air India says a flight from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was "involved in an incident today". The plane was Boeing 787 flight AI171, it says.

There were 53 Britons on board the Air India flight when it crashed, according to the airline. Of the 242 passengers on the flight in total, 169 are Indian nationals. There were seven Portuguese nationals, with one Canadian.

A senior police officer has told ANI news agency it crashed "at a doctors' hostel". The officer said police were at the scene within three minutes and 70-80% of the area has been cleared.

Boeing has now issued a statement. The aircraft maker said: "We are aware of initial reports and are working to gather more information”.

The aircraft manufacturer has been under scrutiny for the last few years regarding safety after manufacturing issues caused the fatal crashes of Lion Air Flight 610 in 2018 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 in 2019, which killed 346 passengers and crew. However, this is the first time a fatal crash has occurred with a 787 plane.

Despite this there have been issues with this particular model. Boeing engineer and whistleblower Sam Salehpour had earlier raised alarms in major U.S. outlets like The New York Times and CNN, alleging that the company took manufacturing shortcuts on both the 777 and 787 Dreamliner models.

A previous Economic Times report documented repeated diversions of a Dreamliner with registration code N819AN due to hydraulic leaks and flap malfunctions, leading to multiple flight cancellations in a span of just 25 days. The Boeing Company states on its website that there are over 1,000 Boeing 787 planes in service.