An Air India aircraft with 242 passengers on board heading to London crashed in the Meghaninagar area near Ahmedabad airport on Thursday afternoon, the police said.

"Vijay Rupani was going to London by the Air India flight," said senior state BJP leader Bhupendrasinh Chudasama.

'In 50 seconds, the pilots were fighting drag, trying relight, throttling up and avoiding obstacles.''They had neither height nor speed. There was no margin.'