What started as a frustrating travel day for Bhoomi Chauhan became a moment of divine intervention. Bhoomi, a 28-year-old business administration student living in Bristol, was visiting her homeland in western India for a short holiday. She was supposed to return to the UK on Thursday via Air India flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick.
However, her car journey from Ankleshwar to Ahmedabad, around 201 km, was delayed due to heavy traffic in the city centre. Despite her best efforts, Bhoomi reached the airport just 10 minutes after the airline had closed the boarding process. To her disbelief, airline staff refused to let her board, even though she had checked in online and her digital boarding pass clearly showed her assigned economy seat, 36G.
The Frustration of Missing a Flight
Bhoomi remembers being angry and disappointed. “We got very angry with our driver and left the airport in frustration,” she recalled while speaking to the BBC Gujarati service. She and her husband stepped away from the airport to have some tea and discuss the next steps with their travel agent to get a refund. It was then that she received the shocking phone call: the flight she had just missed had crashed.
“I was very disappointed for missing the flight, but when I got the call… it was unbelievable. This is totally a miracle for me,” she said, still shaken by the narrow escape.
Tragic Turn: Flight AI171 Crashes
Air India flight AI171, which Bhoomi missed by just minutes, took off from Ahmedabad as scheduled. But something went wrong. Just 30 seconds after take-off, the plane failed to gain altitude and crashed into a nearby residential area. The crash killed all 241 passengers and 12 crew members on board. At least eight people on the ground were also reported dead, with several others injured.
One British passenger, Vishwashkumar Ramesh, miraculously survived the crash and is recovering in the hospital. Among the deceased were 53 Britons, including families from Gloucester and London, as well as a couple who ran a spiritual wellness centre in the capital. Indian, Portuguese, and Canadian nationals were also among the victims.
Questions, Grief, and Investigations
Emergency services and rescue workers responded swiftly, working into the night to clear the wreckage and assist survivors and families of the victims. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but reports suggest the aircraft struggled shortly after lift-off.
Investigators are focusing on technical aspects of the plane and its performance, as well as maintenance history and possible pilot error. The aviation world is watching closely as the crash raises serious questions for Boeing, the manufacturer of the aircraft involved.
The Weight of a Close Call
For Bhoomi Chauhan, the tragedy serves as a painful reminder of how life can change in moments. The anger she felt at missing her flight has been replaced with shock and gratitude. “Only one thing was going through my mind,” she said. “‘If I had started a little earlier, I would have been on that plane.’”
She will never forget that day. Missing her flight might have been frustrating at first, but in the end, it saved her life.
This story reminds us of the unpredictability of life, the power of fate, and the importance of every small decision. While the world mourns those who lost their lives, Bhoomi Chauhan’s story stands as a miraculous escape from one of the deadliest air disasters in recent Indian aviation history
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