An Air India plane with 242 passengers on board crashed at the airport in the western city of Ahmedabad, India.
Local media have published footage of the plane crashing and bursting into flames.
The plane was headed to London's Gatwick Airport and, under circumstances still unclear, crashed during takeoff.
According to IndiaToday, there were 242 people on board the plane, of whom 230 were passengers and 12 were crew members.
The first images from the incident show the chaos prevailing at the scene with burning debris and thick black smoke rising into the sky near the airport.
Images also showed people being transported on stretchers and taken away in ambulances.
According to initial reports, it is a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft that has a capacity of approximately 300 passengers.
The flight was fully fueled for the transatlantic journey, which made both the explosion and the ensuing fire more intense.
There is currently no official confirmation of casualties, while a rescue operation is underway.