Ahmedabad: A day after the tragic Air India crash near Ahmedabad that left 241 people dead, the airline has decided to retire the flight number AI 171 and assign a new number to the route.

According to reports, the London-bound service will now operate as AI 159, while the return leg from Gatwick will be AI 160. Officials told Hindustan Times that the renumbering is expected to take effect soon, although Air India has yet to issue a formal statement.

The ill-fated AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, exploded shortly after takeoff on Thursday afternoon, crashing into a hostel building attached to a nearby medical college. The crash killed all but one of the 242 people on board, including 12 crew members, and also resulted in fatalities on the ground. Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who visited the site, confirmed the lone survivor and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.

A former airline executive explained that renumbering flights after major accidents is a common practice in global aviation. "It’s a way to help passengers dissociate the route from the memory of the incident," they said. Similar actions have been taken in the past—Malaysia Airlines retired MH370 after the 2014 disappearance, and Lion Air changed JT610 after the 2018 Java Sea crash.

Investigators are still trying to determine what caused the crash. According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft began descending unusually soon after takeoff at 1:38 pm. It reached only 625 feet in altitude before plummeting, and the landing gear was reportedly still extended at the moment of impact. The aircraft was carrying nearly a full load of 125,000 litres of fuel, suggesting it had only just begun its ascent when disaster struck.

Adding to the mystery, an IndiGo aircraft that was preparing for takeoff around the same time reportedly aborted its departure after the pilot noticed flames and heard an unusual sound during the Air India jet’s ascent. This account has been backed by airport staff in Ahmedabad, though further confirmation is pending.

The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has prioritised rescue and recovery efforts. Collection of physical evidence began on Friday, but officials say it is too early to confirm whether the flight data recorder—commonly referred to as the black box—has been recovered. Investigators have urged the public to avoid speculation as they continue to piece together what went wrong.

The Boeing 787 is considered one of the world’s safest aircraft models, and such accidents involving the Dreamliner are exceedingly rare. Aviation experts believe that only a detailed technical investigation will uncover whether mechanical failure, pilot error, or other factors were involved in one of India’s worst air disasters in recent memory.