As Residential Colonies Rise Near Airports, Ahmedabad Plane Crash Triggers Calls For Safety Review
AI 171 crashed into a medical college complex near Ahmedabad airport, triggering questions on safety of residential colonies near airports.
Published : June 13, 2025 at 8:32 PM IST
By Santu Das
New Delhi: The plane crash in Gujarat's Ahmedabad has left the nation in shock, being one of the worst aviation disasters in India’s history. The Air India flight 171 from Ahmedabad to London, took off at 1:38 pm from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport with 242 on board, before crashing into a medical college complex seconds later, just five kilometres from the airport. Vishwas Kumar Ramesh is the lone survivor of this tragic incident.
The extent of the devastation caused by the tragic crash is evident from the distressing photographs and videos circulating on social media. A striking part of these visuals is the impact such accidents can have on people living in close proximity to airports. In fact, the crash killed 25+ people on ground.
According to data from the government, India has 160 operational airports, which include 145 airports, two aerodromes, and 13 heliports as of March 2025. The incident has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of air travel and the vulnerability of residential areas near airports.
In India, airports are usually built on the outskirts of cities to avoid such dangers. For instance, the Donyi Polo Airport, which started operating in November 2022, is located nearly 27 km from Arunachal Pradesh’s capital, Itanagar. However, in many areas, residential colonies spring up even before airport construction is completed.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Captain C S Randhawa, Civil Aviation Expert and President of the Federation of Indian Pilots, said, “Residential colonies can be built, it is not that colonies cannot be built. However, there are restrictions on height. They have to take permission from the concerned authority.”
On being asked if rapid urbanization in the vicinity of airports poses a safety risk, he explained, “All over the world, airports are near cities. Even if you build an airport far from the city, over time, the city grows and gets closer to it. So it's not necessary that airports cannot be near cities.”
Expressing grief over the fateful incident, Captain Randhawa said, “It is extremely saddening and shocking.”
It is worth mentioning that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, imposes height restrictions on structures located within a specified distance from airports to ensure the safety of flight operations.
