Mother Sends Texts to Son Killed in Air India Crash: 'Who Do I Send Them To Now?'
On June 12, 2025, 22-year-old Irfan Shaikh, a flight attendant on Air India flight AI-171, was killed when the Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off. Since then, his mother Taslim Samir Shaikh has been sending text messages to his mobile number, which the family keeps active.
In her messages, Taslim updates Irfan on family events: the first rain after summer, the start of the Islamic month of Moharram, and his elder brother's wedding, which was deliberately scheduled on his birthday. 'Happy birthday Irfan, and today is Bhaijaan's wedding too. Pray everything goes well. Ameen,' she wrote on May 3.
According to the family, Irfan was in the habit of staying in constant touch. After moving to Mumbai at age 19 for work, he spoke to them daily. On the day of the crash, he made a two-minute video call to his mother from the taxi taking cabin crew to the airport at 10:07 am — three and a half hours before the accident.
Hearing of the crash, the family flew to Ahmedabad, repeatedly calling Irfan's phone. It rang until evening but no one answered. His father, Samir Noormohammed Shaikh, 50, said, 'We thought Irfan might be busy helping rescue passengers.' At the Civil Hospital, they learned there was only one survivor, passenger Vishwas Kumar.
The Shaikhs spent nine days in Ahmedabad before Irfan's body was released. They have questions: why did it take so long, and why were no DNA tests conducted? They also note that Irfan's clothes were found torn but not completely burnt, even though authorities said his body was charred. Gujarat Minister of State for Health Praful Pansheriya said authorities did everything possible for the families.
Irfan's mother continues to send messages, a routine that helps her cope with the loss.
