Air India cuts international flights after crash causes chaos
Air India's decision came a day after Indian authorities directed the airline to improve its operations. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW DELHI – Air India, India's flagship carrier, said it would temporarily reduce the number of international flights it operates, after the deadly crash of one of its flights last week unleashed plane delays, unnerved passengers and prompted technical inspections of its fleet.
The airline, which is grappling with the aftermath of the June 12 crash that killed at least 270 people, said late on June 18 in a post on the social media platform X that it was cutting international services on certain planes by 15 per cent at least until mid-July. The move, which applies to wide-body jets – planes with two aisles that are typically used for long-haul flights – is meant to 'ensure stability of operations, better efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers,' it said.
Air India's decision came a day after Indian authorities directed the airline to improve its operations. The airline has been inundated by complaints from passengers about cancelled flights, faulty cabin devices and inadequate information being given to travelers.
On June 17, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the country's main civil flight regulator, said in a statement that it found no 'major safety concerns' as it conducted technical inspections of Air India's fleet of 33 Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes, the model of plane that crashed.
So far, 26 of the airline's planes have been cleared, Air India said.
However, the regulator did find 'maintenance-related issues' and directed the carrier to 'strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units'.
Air India has a fleet of 190 planes, a company spokesperson said late on June 19, though its website lists 128. Air India Group, including Air India Express, operates about 1,000 flights daily, including to dozens of overseas destinations.
The carrier has cancelled more than 80 flights since the crash. NYTIMES
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