Shortly before boarding the doomed Air India flight, a British couple shared a final Instagram video, smiling and celebrating the end of their holiday.
On June 12, Jamie Meek and his partner Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek were confirmed among the victims of flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India, according to Jamie’s brother, Nick Meek, speaking to The Times.
Around 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jamie Meek’s family was eagerly awaiting his return. Jamie, 44, and his husband, Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek, 39, were expected home after a 10-day wellness retreat in India. The couple, founders of The Wellbeing Foundry, had traveled to Ahmedabad for the spiritual getaway. While they were away, Jamie’s mother was caring for their dog.
“She’s not in a good way,” Jamie’s brother Nick told The Times. “It’s all still extremely raw. We only found out a few hours ago, so there’s a lot to process.”
Their final Instagram video, now shared widely across social media, shows the couple at the airport just before boarding Air India flight AI171.
“We are at the airport, just boarding,” Fiongal says with a smile. Jamie adds, “Goodbye, India… 10-hour flight back to England.”
Playful and lighthearted, the clip captures their bond. “My biggest takeaway is to not lose your patience with your partner,” Fiongal jokes. Jamie teases back, “You already snapped at me over chai at the airport! You’ve learned nothing.”
Fiongal ends the video with a calm smile, saying, “Going back happily, happily, happily calm.”
Tragically, it would be their final message—shared just moments before the ill-fated Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner took off and crashed, claiming their lives.
According to Air India CEO Campbell Wilson, Jamie Meek and Fiongal Greenlaw-Meek were among 53 British nationals on board flight AI171 when it crashed on Thursday. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members when it went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, India.
Tragically, 241 of the 242 people on board were confirmed dead, with only one known survivor: Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a 40-year-old British national.
In a statement posted on X, Wilson shared that the passengers included 169 Indian citizens, seven Portuguese, one Canadian, and the 53 from the U.K. He emphasized that Air India is fully cooperating with authorities and has launched an emergency assistance line for affected families and friends.
“Today is a tough day for all of us at Air India,” Wilson said. “We are now totally focused on the needs of our passengers, crew members, and their families and loved ones.” He also stressed the importance of accuracy, adding, “Anything we report must be accurate and not speculative. We are committed to sharing timely and verified information as soon as we can.”
