Aaj Tak
Bhoomi Chauhan recalls feeling furious and helpless. Heavy gridlock had slowed her ride to Ahmedabad airport, causing a delay so severe that she missed her Air India flight to London Gatwick by just 10 minutes.
A business administration student based in Bristol with her husband, Ms. Chauhan had been vacationing in western India before her scheduled return.
The 28-year-old was supposed to be on AI171 that Thursday—the same flight that tragically crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of all 241 passengers and crew, along with several victims on the ground.
However, after reaching the airport less than an hour before departure, airline officials refused to let her board.
“We were furious with our driver and left the airport upset,” she shares. “I was completely heartbroken.”
“We stepped outside, stopped for tea, and while figuring out how to get a refund from the travel agent, I received a call—the plane had crashed.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Gujarati service, she adds, “This feels like nothing short of a miracle.”
Ms. Chauhan arrived at the airport at 12:20 PM local time, just 10 minutes after boarding had begun.
Her digital boarding pass, verified by BBC News, confirmed her seat—36G in economy class.
Despite having checked in online, airport staff denied her request to complete the boarding process.
Her journey from Ankleshwar—201 km (125 miles) from Ahmedabad—was further delayed by heavy city traffic.
“When I realized I’d missed the flight, I was devastated,” she says. “All I could think was, ‘If only I’d left a bit earlier, I would’ve been on that plane.’”
“I begged the staff to let me through since I was only 10 minutes late. I told them I was the last passenger, but they refused.”
The Gatwick-bound flight departed as planned that afternoon but struggled to gain altitude, crashing just 30 seconds after takeoff.
The aircraft plunged into a residential area, killing everyone on board—241 passengers and 12 crew members—along with at least eight people on the ground.
Only one passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, survived the disaster and was hospitalized with injuries.
The flight also carried Indian, Portuguese, and Canadian nationals among its passengers.