Air India to cut international flights on widebody aircraft by 15%
The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service.
Air India said on Wednesday it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Authorities continue to investigate the crash of flight AI171, which killed 241 people and marked the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade.
The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service.
The cuts, effective until at least mid-July, were being implemented "to ensure stability of operations, better efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers," the Tata Group-owned airline said.
The remaining planes will be checked in the coming days and additional checks are also planned for its Boeing 777 fleet, Air India added.
Flight AI171, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board and about 30 people on the ground.
Earlier on Wednesday, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the flight that crashed had a clean engine history.
In an interview with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023.
The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GE.N GEnx engines.
Air India also cited geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and "night curfews in many European and East Asian airspaces" as contributing factors behind flight cancellations, which have totaled 83 over the past six days. — Reuters
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GMA Network
11 hours ago
- GMA Network
Air India to cut international flights on widebody aircraft by 15%
The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service. Air India said on Wednesday it will cut international operations on its widebody aircraft by 15% for the next few weeks, citing ongoing safety inspections and operational disruptions following last week's deadly crash of one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. Authorities continue to investigate the crash of flight AI171, which killed 241 people and marked the world's deadliest aviation disaster in a decade. The airline said in a statement that inspections had been completed on 26 of its 33 Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, and those 26 have been cleared for service. The cuts, effective until at least mid-July, were being implemented "to ensure stability of operations, better efficiency and minimise inconvenience to passengers," the Tata Group-owned airline said. The remaining planes will be checked in the coming days and additional checks are also planned for its Boeing 777 fleet, Air India added. Flight AI171, bound for London's Gatwick Airport, crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad, killing all but one on board and about 30 people on the ground. Earlier on Wednesday, Air India Chairman N. Chandrasekaran said the flight that crashed had a clean engine history. In an interview with Indian broadcaster Times Now, Chandrasekaran said Air India flight 171's right engine was new and installed in March 2025, and that the left engine was last serviced in 2023. The Dreamliner was fitted with GE Aerospace's GE.N GEnx engines. Air India also cited geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and "night curfews in many European and East Asian airspaces" as contributing factors behind flight cancellations, which have totaled 83 over the past six days. — Reuters
GMA Network
6 days ago
- GMA Network
US sees no immediate reason to ground Boeing 787 after Air India crash
People gather as rescue team members work at the site where an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner plane crashed in Ahmedabad, India, June 12, 2025. REUTERS/ Amit Dave WASHINGTON — US officials said on Thursday they have not seen any immediate safety data that would require halting Boeing BA.N787 flights after a fatal Air India accident killed over 240 people. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Acting Federal Aviation Administration head Chris Rocheleau made the comments at a news conference and said they had seen videos of the crash in India. Duffy said he had spoken to National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy. An NTSB and FAA team, with support from Boeing and engine manufacturer GE Aerospace GE.N, was going to India, Duffy said. "They have to get on the ground and take a look. But again right now it'd be way too premature," Duffy said. "People are looking at videos and trying to assess what happened, which is never a strong, smart way to make decisions on what took place." Duffy said the FAA was reviewing information with Boeing and GE as part of the investigation into the crash. Duffy also emphasized the US government "will not hesitate to implement any safety recommendations that may arise. We will follow the facts and put safety first." Rocheleau said, "As we proceed down this road with the investigation itself, if there's any information that becomes available to us regarding any risk, we will mitigate those risks." Duffy said the FAA is "prepared to send additional resources to get the data we need to ensure the safety of the flying public." — Reuters
GMA Network
05-06-2025
- GMA Network
Investment agency sees potential in PH coffee for Seattle market
SEATTLE – An economic development agency in Seattle—a city known for its vibrant coffee culture—sees great potential in specialty Philippine coffee entering its market. Rebecca Lovell, chief operating officer of the Greater Seattle Partners, a public-private partnership firm promoting investments and trade in the greater Seattle region, said the Filipinos' and the city's 'shared love for coffee' could pave the way for more active collaboration with local Filipino coffee producers. 'The cultural connections run deep,' Lovell told selected journalists from the Philippines and Japan on a reporting tour of the United States funded by the State Department. 'I'd love to explore more on how we can make connections around coffee.' Home to many coffee enthusiasts and the birthplace of the world's largest coffee shop chain, Starbucks, Seattle has an abundance of diverse and independent coffee houses across the city. Lovell said while the majority of Filipino-American-owned businesses, mostly in the food industry, over the years have significantly contributed to Seattle's 'traditional' economy, she also hopes to see greater penetration of Philippine coffee in the city in the future. 'There are some really, really incredible Filipino businesses here, and you see some of the richness of the food tradition. That's where, candidly, we would start to see more of a traditional economic impact,' Lovell said. Philippine trade officials in embassies in the US and Japan said in previous interviews that Arabica, a coffee variety that the Philippines produces from its highlands, including in the Sagada mountain municipality and Benguet province in the north and Mount Apo in the south, has been in demand, as well as the Barako coffee, a Liberica type of bean consumed locally and produced in Batangas and Cavite. However, they said that in order to meet the increasing demand, more plantations in the Philippines must be devoted to these types of coffee. Discussions with US and Japanese officials are ongoing to determine how various Philippine agricultural products, including coffee, can enter their market, they said. In terms of trade and investment, Lovell said the Philippines is Seattle's 17th trading partner, 14th in imports and 21st in exports. Seattle, which is fast becoming America's tech and aerospace hub, also has the ninth largest population of Filipinos and Filipino-Americans among cities in the US, according to Pew Research Center, with over 100,000. —VBL, GMA Integrated News
