MORE than 200 people were killed when an Air India Boeing 787 bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India's western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Here are some details on the wide-body intercontinental jet:

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is one of the most advanced jets in service and experts say it has a generally strong safety record, with no previous fatal accidents. Boeing said it was aware of initial reports and working to gather more information.

The 787-8 aircraft involved in Thursday's accident was delivered in 2014 and is the smallest of three variants.

The 787-8 typically holds 248 passengers and the larger and longer-range 787-9 carries 296 people. The largest variant, the 787-10, which also has the smallest range, has 336 seats, according to Boeing data.

The twin-engined 787 comes with a choice of two types of engine, supplied by GE Aerospace or Britain's Rolls-Royce. The engines on the crashed plane were supplied by GE, which said it would support the investigation.

Boeing has sold more than 2,500 787s, including 47 to Air India. It has delivered 1,189 jets to airlines or lessors, but has been beset in recent years by production delays, adding to a broader corporate crisis at the US's largest exporter.

The 787 first flew in 2011 and entered service in the same year after development delays.

Its creation marked a breakthrough in design, promising 20 per cent greater fuel efficiency through the use of durable, lightweight composite materials and more electrical systems.