Bengaluru passengers face travel disruptions as Air India cuts international services amid safety concerns: Report
Days after the tragic crash of Air India flight 171, from Ahmedabad to London, the airline has announces several changes in their flight schedule, including cancellations, reduction in frequency and diversions. This includes cancellations of two of its international services from Bengaluru, according to a report by The Hindu.
Travelers departing from the Karnataka capital faced disruption on Thursday (June 19), when flight AI 175, a non-stop service to San Francisco scheduled for 1:20 p.m., and AI 133, bound for London Heathrow with a planned departure at 2:15 p.m. were cancelled, officials at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) told the publication.
These cancellations come in the wake of Air India's recent decision to scale back its international operations involving widebody aircraft — specifically the Boeing 787 and 777 series. The airline announced on June 18 that it would be reducing long and ultra-long-haul services by 15 per cent.
Among the grounded jets, the San Francisco route uses a Boeing 777-200LR, one of the few aircraft capable of covering the nearly 14,000-kilometer stretch, making it the longest commercial route operated by an Indian carrier, the report stated. The London-bound service, on the other hand, typically utilizes a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
As part of its revised schedule, Air India confirmed it will reduce the frequency of its Bengaluru–London Heathrow route from daily to six times a week. This change will take effect starting June 21 and is expected to remain in place until at least July 15.
In similar news, a Chennai-bound private airline flight from Guwahati had to make an unplanned landing in Bengaluru after the pilot reported critically low fuel levels, according to airport authorities, news agency PTI reported.
The aircraft, carrying approximately 168 passengers, was rerouted mid-flight when the fuel situation was identified as inadequate to safely reach its intended destination.
Following refuelling in Bengaluru, the flight was scheduled to resume its journey toward its planned endpoint, officials said.
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