People from India and around the world were shocked to see the news on Thursday. This is because the AirIndian plane crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad. The flight, AI 171, was on its way to London, with 242 people on board, including pilots and crew. Sadly, it never took place far. The moment they were released from the airport, the plane lost contact and crashed into a crowded residential area called Meghani Nagar. If you went to TV News or X (formerly Twitter), a video of thick smoke that looked horrible came out and the emergency team rushed to the scene. Everyone tried to understand what was wrong, but many turned to a flight tracking website called Flightradar24. It showed the final move of the plane and quickly became one of the most talked about platforms online.
But what exactly is Flightradar24? Why is it so important that day?
Flightradar24, or simply Flightradar, is a real-time flight tracking service that allows users to view aircraft movements anywhere in the world. It uses a network of ground receivers to collect airplanes broadcast signals and provide public access to data such as flight paths, altitude, speed, aircraft models, and even registration details. For the AI 171, the platform recorded the aircraft's last known signal exactly at 1:38pm. It showed that the plane used the full runway length before takeoff. The data also reveals the aircraft's short climb and rapid losses in altitude, suggesting that something went wrong immediately after takeoff.
This is when a platform like Flightradar suddenly gets a connection. In the event of a crash or air emergency, people, including aviation enthusiasts, journalists and regular citizens, will turn to these trackers for live updates and technical clues. In fact, Flightradar data is now often cited in breaking news stories, with its graphs and flight paths appearing in television breaking news and social media discussions. That's why Flightradar24 became a buzzword during the tragedy of aviation. Since the incident, Flightradar data has been trending across X.
Flightradar24 is the most famous, but that's not the only one. Services like RadarBox, Flighty, and Flight Aware offer similar insights. However, it was the Flightradar24 that first confirmed that the AI 171 reached only 625 feet at a ground speed of 174 knots before it disappeared from the map.
What does this mean to you and me? Today, anyone with a smartphone can track planes in the sky. And at the moment of crisis, its power becomes even more visible. A few hours after the AI 171 crash, the final route, speed and altitude of the flight were more than just technical details. They were the first signs of an ongoing disaster, captured in real time and shared around the world.
