A woman who narrowly missed boarding the ill-fated Air India flight AI171 bound for London Gatwick has described her near-miss as a miraculous escape.
Bhoomi Chauhan, a 28-year-old business administration student based in Bristol, UK, had been vacationing in western India. She was set to return home on Thursday aboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which tragically crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, claiming the lives of all 253 passengers on board and at least eight people on the ground.
Chauhan narrowly missed the flight by just 10 minutes, delayed by heavy traffic while traveling to the airport from Ankleshwar, located approximately 201 km (125 miles) south of Ahmedabad.
We were very angry with our driver and left the airport feeling frustrated. I was deeply disappointed… but while I was on the phone with the travel agent about getting a refund, I received a call saying the plane had crashed,” Chauhan told the BBC’s Gujarati service.
According to BBC News, Chauhan’s digital boarding pass confirmed she had checked in online and had been assigned seat 36G in economy class.
However “I pleaded with the airline staff to let me in, explaining that I was just 10 minutes late,” Chauhan recalled. “I told them I was the last passenger and begged to be allowed on board, but they refused.
”She added, “When I missed the flight, I was heartbroken.All I could think was, ‘If only I had left a bit earlier, I would’ve made it on board.’ This truly feels like a miracle to me.”
