242 people are believed to have been onboard the Gatwick-bound flight
16:17, 12 Jun 2025Updated 16:46, 12 Jun 2025
Jamie Greenlaw-Meek
A dance and yoga teacher who attended a Liverpool dance school is believed to have been onboard an Air India plane which crashed near Ahmedabad today. The Gatwick-bound Air India flight 171 crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad Airport in western India, with thick plumes of smoke seen billowing from the distance around 9.10am BST.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into buildings before exploding. In total, there were 242 people believed to be onboard, with 53 of those being British nationals. One of those reported to have been onboard was Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, a yoga teacher who spent time at Elliott-Clarke Performing Arts School in the city.
The former BBC DanceX contestant previously told the BBC he had moved to Liverpool from Birmingham when he was 12 years old before moving to Coventry when he was 16. According to his LinkedIn profile, Jamie owned The Wellness Foundry in London with his husband Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, who was also on the flight.
Speaking to the BBC for his DanceX profile, Jamie previously said about his time living in Liverpool: “It was really difficult leaving home at that age, but I knew that that was what I wanted to do.
“I lived with a family in Liverpool during this period of my life and it was very difficult because the family were very different to my own and the first year was particularly hard for me.”
DanceX was a 2007 reality show in which two teams of male and female dancers competed to form a new dance group.
In a video posted to The Wellness Foundry Instagram page, the couple shared a clip as they waited to board the Air India flight. Fiongal said: “We are in the airport, just boarding. Goodbye India.”
Jamie said: “Goodbye India, ten hour flight back to England.”
Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek
As they joked in the video, Fiongel said: “We’re going back happily, happily, happily calm.”
Reports quickly circulated in the local media stating more than 100 bodies had been recovered from the wreckage by police and emergency service workers.
Gatwick said a reception centre was being set up for relatives of passengers on board the doomed Air India flight. In a statement posted on social media, it said: “We can confirm flight AI171 that was involved in an accident on departure from Ahmedabad Airport today (12 June) was due to land at London Gatwick at 18:25 BST.
“The Boeing 787-8 aircraft had 242 passengers and crew members on board. London Gatwick is liaising closely with Air India and a reception centre for relatives of those on board is being set up where information and support will be provided.
“British nationals who require consular assistance or have concerns about friends or family should call 020 7008 5000. Air India have set up a dedicated passenger hotline number 1800 5691 444 to provide more information. Our thoughts are with family and friends of those on board.”
Just at the start of the year, Fiongal featured on ITV’s This Morning to discuss aura, with him also featuring on the Newly Weds Podcast with Jamie Laing and Sophie Habboo last year.
The Elliott-Clarke Performing Arts School had previously operated on Old Haymarket in the city centre, with Google showing it as permanently closed.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has been approached for comment.