The captain of the Air India plane that crashed with hundreds of people dead had made a heartbreaking vow to his elderly father just days before, it has been revealed.

The London Gatwick-bounded Dreamliner plane was carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Britons – with none on board thought to have survived except one UK national in seat 11A.

Among those believed to have died is Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, the pilot operating Air India flight AI171 – a Boeing 787 taking off from Ahmedabad in India.

Mr Sabharwal, who had 8,200 hours of experience, was named as the pilot of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

First Officer Clive Kunder, from Mumbai and who was co-piloting, had logged 1,100 of flying hours and completed his training at the Florida-based Paris Air Flight School.

Cabin crew members Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam and Lamnunthem Singson were also revealed to have been onboard.

Senior members Shradha Dhavan and Aparna Mahadik, along with Saineeta Chakravarti, Deepak Pathak, Maithili Patil, Irfan Shaikh, Roshni Songhare Rajendra, and Manisha Thapa were also named among the crew.

Family members were seen braking down in tears as identities of those thought dead in Thursday’s tragedy were shared.

Among those thought to have died in Thursday’s crash is Captain Sumeet Sabharwal (pictured), pilot of Air India flight AI171 – a Boeing 787 Dreamliner taking off from Ahmedabad

Friends have told how he had a phone conversation just days ago with his father (pictured)

A fire officer stands next to the crashed Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft in Ahmedabad in India today, 24 hours on from the fatal crash

Now it has been revealed how Mr Sabharwal had spoken on the phone a week ago with his 82-year-old father, who is living in a care home – and made a promise to take more time out from his working schedule to spend with family.

Details of the conversation have been shared by Indian politician Dilip Mama Lande, a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

He said of Mr Sabharwal: ‘A few days ago, he promised to take a break to spend time with his father.’

The elder family figure is believed to be a former official with India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Times of India reported.

Authorities had said earlier they believed there were no survivors on the Gatwick-bound flight that crashed in Gujarat carrying 242 passengers, including 53 Britons.

The regional police chief said ‘some locals would have also died’, given that the plane smashed down into offices and accommodation for doctors close to a hospital

So far, rescue teams supported by the military have recovered 204 bodies, with casualties from the plane and the area surrounding the crash.

Yet it emerged there was one British survivor of the Air India plane crash, who has today been visited by Indian prime minister Narendra Modi.

This is the first picture of First Officer Clive Kunder, from Mumbai, who was on the doomed Air India that crashed moments after take-off

Air hostess Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam was named by local media as being on board the ill-fated Flight 171

Footage showed the moments before the Air India plane came down in Ahmedabad

Chunks of the plane’s fuselage and tail were seen protruding from a demolished building

Video footage shows Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, talking to Mr Modi while lying on his hospital bed.

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British survivor gives shocking account of Air India plane crash that killed every other passenger

Air India confirmed Mr Ramesh was the sole survivor of the 242 people on board the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner when it crashed into a medical college shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad airport.

It is one of the deadliest plane crashes in terms of the number of British nationals killed, and the first involving a 787.

Mr Ramesh told DD News, ‘I still can’t believe how I survived’, as he spoke from his hospital bed on Friday.

The 40-year-old told the broadcaster the plane felt like it was ‘stuck in the air’ shortly after take-off before lights began flickering green and white – adding: ‘It suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.’

He said: ‘I still can’t believe how I came out of it alive. For a moment, I felt like I was going to die too.

‘But when I opened my eyes and looked around, I realised I was alive. I still can’t believe how I survived.’

Mr Ramesh was in seat 11A, next to one of the aircraft’s emergency exits.

Briton Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, miraculously survived the plane disaster. Pictured: Prime Minister Narendra Modi (L) meeting with Vishwash Kumar Ramesh in an Ahmedabad hospital on Friday

The plane’s sole survivor in hospital with a bloodied face and injuries after the tragic crash, which claimed the life of his younger brother

Astonishing footage showed the man walking away from the scene with some visible injuries to his face

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Did wing flaps cause Air India crash?

Addressing what happened before the incident, Mr Ramesh told the broadcaster: ‘When the flight took off, within five to 10 seconds it felt like it was stuck in the air.

‘Suddenly, the lights started flickering – green and white. The aircraft wasn’t gaining altitude and was just gliding before it suddenly slammed into a building and exploded.’

He added: ‘At first, I thought I was dead. Later, I realised I was still alive and saw an opening in the fuselage.

‘I managed to unbuckle myself, used my leg to push through that opening and crawled out.’

Commenting on his survival, Mr Ramesh said: ‘I don’t know how I survived. I saw people dying in front of my eyes.

‘The air hostesses, and two people I saw near me. I walked out of the rubble.’