Air India Flight 171 Crash Survivor Faces Deportation from UK

Nearly a year after the devastating Air India Flight 171 crash claimed the lives of his wife and two-year-old daughter, a 28-year-old Indian-origin man is now fighting a fresh battle — to remain in the United Kingdom. Mohammadmiya Sethwala, originally from Gujarat’s Vadodara, was informed by the UK Home Office on April 9 that his application to stay in the country on compassionate grounds had been rejected. Authorities have placed him on immigration bail until April 22, directing him to leave the UK thereafter.

Sethwala had moved to the UK in 2022 on a dependent visa tied to his wife Sadiqa, who was studying International Business Management. The couple later settled in Rugby, where she had secured employment and was on track to obtain a work permit, a step that would have stabilised their future in Britain. That future was abruptly shattered on June 12, 2025, when Sadiqa and their toddler Fatima were among the victims killed when the Ahmedabad–London flight crashed moments after takeoff.

Recounting his ordeal, Sethwala said he had been working the morning shift on the day of the crash so he could pick up his family from the airport. Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I thought it must be a different plane… it couldn’t be theirs, but it was.” The tragedy not only took away his family but also the basis of his legal stay in the UK. His dependent visa expired earlier this year, and subsequent efforts to secure a new visa or employment sponsorship have failed. Struggling with grief and mental health issues, Sethwala says returning to India is not an option he can emotionally bear. “I have nothing left… I will not be able to escape my grief back home. But here I can begin to move forward,” he told The Sun.

Sethwala’s legal team is preparing to challenge the Home Office decision in a UK court, seeking to have the immigration bail order lifted. If successful, it could allow him to apply afresh for a visa. His case has drawn criticism from activists and migrant rights groups, who argue that exceptional humanitarian circumstances should warrant leniency. However, the Home Office has stated that all applications are assessed strictly in accordance with existing immigration rules.

Friends say Sethwala had begun rebuilding his life in London with the support of relatives and a close-knit community after briefly returning to India following the crash. The Air India Flight 171 crash remains one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent years, killing passengers, crew, and people on the ground after the Boeing 787-8 aircraft struck a medical hostel building and burst into flames.