Student’s Close Call: Commuter Traffic Prevents Tragic Flight Takeoff

Bhoomi Chauhan's late arrival at Ahmedabad airport due to severe traffic led her to miss Air India flight AI171 by a mere ten minutes, ultimately saving her life as the flight went down shortly after taking off, resulting in a deadly crash.

Bhoomi Chauhan, a 28-year-old business administration student living in Bristol, faced a stroke of fate when severe traffic caused her to miss her Air India flight to London by just ten minutes. The delayed journey to Ahmedabad airport left her furious and frustrated, especially after arriving at 12:20 PM local time, just after boarding was set to commence for flight AI171, which tragically crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 241 individuals onboard.

“I was dejected and kept thinking, 'If I had started a little early, I would have boarded the plane,'” Ms. Chauhan recalled. Despite checking in online and holding a boarding pass for economy class seat 36G, airline staff denied her entry as she arrived less than an hour before departure. After leaving the airport in anger with her husband and discussing ticket refund options with their travel agent, she received the devastating news of the flight's crash.

The Gatwick-bound flight, taking off in the afternoon on Thursday, experienced difficulties gaining altitude and crashed just thirty seconds later, striking a residential area. Among the dead were 241 passengers and crew members, with at least eight fatalities reported on the ground. Known victims included British nationals and various families, prompting an outpour of grief as emergency services continued to recover bodies and search for answers.

One surviving passenger, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, was treated for injuries in a hospital, but the crash has raised questions about safety protocols and flight management. Local investigators continue their efforts to piece together what led to this tragic incident, as the families of the deceased await answers.

Chauhan’s narrow escape from tragedy has often led her to reflect on the randomness of life, expressing gratitude to fate for preventing her from boarding the doomed flight.