Ahmedabad Air India plane crash: Last rites of crew member Irfan Shaikh held in Pimpri Chinchwad-OxBig News Network

Relatives and friends gave an emotional farewell to Irfan Shaikh, a crew member of the ill-fated Air India that crashed in Ahmedabad last week, as his remains were laid to rest at Pimpri Chinchwad in Maharashtra on Saturday (June 21, 2025).

The Shaikh family received 22-year-old Irfan’s remains after a DNA match on Friday (June 20), and they were brought to Pune in the early hours of the day.

The final rites were held at a graveyard in Nehru Nagar in the presence of family, neighbours, friends, and leaders from across political parties.

Irfan was on board the London-bound Air India flight, AI 171, that crashed into a building in a medical college complex moments after take-off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 21. A total of 241 persons on board the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft were killed in the crash, along with 29 others on the ground.

“Irfan joined the aviation industry as a cabin crew member two years ago after completing a course. He initially worked with Vistara, and after the Air India-Vistara merger, he began flying on international routes,” a relative said.

The youngster had big dreams and was determined to excel in the field, but the crash shattered all those dreams, he added.