One year on, AI 171 crash victims’ families still haunted by loss and trauma

Nearly a year after the AI 171 plane crash in Ahmedabad claimed 260 lives, the grief remains raw for families who lost loved ones and survivors whose lives were altered forever. While investigations and official responses have moved on, many continue to battle trauma, anxiety and an enduring fear of air travel.

For Diu resident Rafik Arab, the tragedy lives on in a final text message from his son, Faizan.

"Papa, I have boarded the flight and I am going," the 25-year-old wrote before boarding the London-bound aircraft on 12 June 2025.

"Who could have imagined it would be his last text?" Rafik said, his voice still heavy with grief.

Faizan, who was pursuing Islamic studies in the UK, had returned home to spend time with his family before flying back. Since the crash, Rafik and his family have not stepped onto an aircraft.

"We haven't flown since that day. Even the sound of a plane overhead unsettles us. It reminds us of how 260 lives vanished in seconds," he said.

His wife and two younger sons continue to struggle with the loss. "They miss him a lot," he added.

For Surat resident Mukti Vansadiya, the crash took away both her parents and transformed her life.

Her parents, Divya, 60, and Arjunsinh, 65, were travelling to London to visit their elder daughter. It was their first trip abroad and their first flight.

"It's a big thing for middle-class people to travel abroad. They were excited like children," Mukti recalled.

Before their departure, she had tried to reassure them about air travel.

"I told them if they experienced turbulence, they shouldn't be scared and everything would be fine."

The family had even changed their travel plans, opting for a flight from Ahmedabad so the elderly couple could travel with Gujarati-speaking passengers and feel more comfortable.

What remains etched in Mukti's memory are the final moments at the airport.

"I touched my mother's feet but forgot my father's. I ran back, touched his feet and he patted my back. I can never forget that feeling. It was as if he was preparing me for a war."

Hours later, a phone call shattered her world.

Now living alone in Surat, Mukti says the trauma pushed her into depression. She left her job at a travel agency and spent months undergoing counselling.

Though she now works as a social worker with a Tata Group CSR initiative, the emotional wounds remain.

"Whenever someone mentions airplanes, the trauma resurfaces and I become anxious. Even thinking about it brings a dull ache to my chest," she said.

"I still haven't watched the crash video. Anything related to it triggers anxiety, and I've decided never to fly again."

In Banaskantha district's Dhanera village, 50-year-old Savdhan Chaudhary is still struggling to accept the loss of his son Kamlesh and daughter-in-law Dhapuben, both 26.

The young couple had been married for just six months.

Kamlesh, who had settled in London, had returned to India to bring his wife after her visa was approved. The couple were among those killed in the crash.

"It was a big thing for a village boy to settle abroad. We were all proud of him," Savdhan said.

Kamlesh had dreams not only for himself but for his family.

"He told us to slowly sell our livestock and stop working. He wanted to take us to London after Diwali and help his younger brother settle there too."

Today, those dreams lie buried with him.

"I still remember seeing them at Ahmedabad airport in our traditional Chaudhary attire. Even though they were going abroad, they did not leave their roots behind," Savdhan said.

The crash also left scars on people who were never meant to be part of the flight.

Ajay Parmar, 28, was riding home on his motorcycle when the aircraft crashed into the Meghaninagar hostel complex.

"I suddenly heard a loud crash. Before I could understand anything, my hands and legs were burning," he recalled.

Parmar suffered severe burns and spent two months in hospital.

The injuries changed his life permanently. Doctors advised him against working in direct sunlight, ending his career as a gardener.

The personal cost was equally devastating.

"My wife left me because I could not work and my appearance had changed after the burns," he said.

Even today, the sound of aircraft overhead triggers painful memories.

"I still fear planes. I witnessed that horrifying scene of nothing but fire. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep."

For many connected to the AI 171 disaster, the passage of time has done little to ease the pain. A year later, the crash remains more than a tragic headline — it is a daily reality shaped by loss, unanswered questions and memories that refuse to fade.

With PTI inputs