Air India axes eight flights as entire Dreamliner fleet inspected after crash
Eight international flights due to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners have been cancelled by Air India. They included services to London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai
Air India has cancelled eight international flights and is inspecting it's entire fleet of Dreamliners as the investigation into last week's tragic crash continues. The axed flights, which affected services to cities including London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai, were all due to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners - the aircraft model involved in the Flight 171 crash last Thursday.
The airline cited a combination of aircraft unavailability, technical issues, airspace restrictions and extended safety checks as reasons behind the cancellations. At least three other flights operated by the same aircraft model have been grounded or delayed in the past 48 hours after the airline was ordered by India's aviation regulator to inspect its entire fleet.
A flight due to depart Ahmedabad towards London Gatwick - the same route as the doomed aircraft in which all crew and passengers, except for one British man, lost their life - was also cancelled on Tuesday.
An airline spokesman said the flight was cancelled "due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft."
On Tuesday, India's aviation safety watchdog said surveillance conducted on the Boeing 787 fleet - which is a key component of the airline's long-haul planes - didn't reveal any major safety concerns.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement: "The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards."
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off with 242 people on board. Everyone on board, apart from Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was killed.
As the plane came down, it also hit nearby buildings, killing 29 people on the ground. Investigators in the country are now studying the black boxes that were recovered from the aircraft wreckage to ascertain the cause of the crash.
The black boxes will provide cockpit conversations and data related to the plane's engine and control settings to investigators and help them in determining the cause of the tragedy, which was one of India's worst aviation disaster in decades.
Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the UK and officials from Boeing. Former pilot and an aviation expert Amit Singh said the recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are crucial to piece together the sequence of events.
The cockpit voice recorder records pilots' conversation, emergency alarms and any distress signal made before a crash. The plane's digital flight data recorder stores information related to engine and control settings. Both devices are designed to survive a crash.
"The data will reveal everything," Mr Singh said, adding that the technical details could be corroborated by the cockpit voice recorder that would help investigators know of any communication between air traffic control and the pilots. India's aviation regulatory body has said the aircraft made a mayday call before the crash.
Singh said the investigating authorities will scan CCTV footage of the nearby area and speak with witnesses to get to the root cause of the crash.
Mr Singh said the investigators will also study the pilot training records, total load of the aircraft, thrust issues related to the plane's engine, as well as its worthiness in terms of past performances and any previously reported issues.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Air India axes eight flights as entire Dreamliner fleet inspected after crash
Eight international flights due to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners have been cancelled by Air India. They included services to London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai Air India has cancelled eight international flights and is inspecting it's entire fleet of Dreamliners as the investigation into last week's tragic crash continues. The axed flights, which affected services to cities including London, Paris, Vienna and Dubai, were all due to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners - the aircraft model involved in the Flight 171 crash last Thursday. The airline cited a combination of aircraft unavailability, technical issues, airspace restrictions and extended safety checks as reasons behind the cancellations. At least three other flights operated by the same aircraft model have been grounded or delayed in the past 48 hours after the airline was ordered by India's aviation regulator to inspect its entire fleet. A flight due to depart Ahmedabad towards London Gatwick - the same route as the doomed aircraft in which all crew and passengers, except for one British man, lost their life - was also cancelled on Tuesday. An airline spokesman said the flight was cancelled "due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft." On Tuesday, India's aviation safety watchdog said surveillance conducted on the Boeing 787 fleet - which is a key component of the airline's long-haul planes - didn't reveal any major safety concerns. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a statement: "The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards." The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, bound for London Gatwick, crashed shortly after take-off with 242 people on board. Everyone on board, apart from Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, was killed. As the plane came down, it also hit nearby buildings, killing 29 people on the ground. Investigators in the country are now studying the black boxes that were recovered from the aircraft wreckage to ascertain the cause of the crash. The black boxes will provide cockpit conversations and data related to the plane's engine and control settings to investigators and help them in determining the cause of the tragedy, which was one of India's worst aviation disaster in decades. Experts from India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau are probing the crash with assistance from the UK, the UK and officials from Boeing. Former pilot and an aviation expert Amit Singh said the recovery of the flight data and cockpit voice recorders are crucial to piece together the sequence of events. The cockpit voice recorder records pilots' conversation, emergency alarms and any distress signal made before a crash. The plane's digital flight data recorder stores information related to engine and control settings. Both devices are designed to survive a crash. "The data will reveal everything," Mr Singh said, adding that the technical details could be corroborated by the cockpit voice recorder that would help investigators know of any communication between air traffic control and the pilots. India's aviation regulatory body has said the aircraft made a mayday call before the crash. Singh said the investigating authorities will scan CCTV footage of the nearby area and speak with witnesses to get to the root cause of the crash. Mr Singh said the investigators will also study the pilot training records, total load of the aircraft, thrust issues related to the plane's engine, as well as its worthiness in terms of past performances and any previously reported issues.
Metro
5 hours ago
- Metro
Sainsbury's shoppers want to 'give up' after seeing new price of meal deal
If you see anyone crying into their Sainsbury's tuna and sweetcorn sandwich, it's probably because it cost them more than usual. That's right, the supermarket has raised the price of its meal deal for the second time in less than a year, to a new price of £3.95. That's a 20p increase from July last year, when the meal deal rose from £3.50 to £3.75. Prior to this, the price had been just £3 for at least six years. Sainsbury's confirmed to Metro its meal deal price had risen, but added it still offered 'one of the best value meal deals around'. This hasn't stopped shoppers throwing their sandwiches out their trolley though. 'FOUR GREAT BRITISH POUNDS for a meal deal at Sainsbury's. Game's never been more gone,' wrote @aaman44 on X. 'It's £3.95 for a Sainsbury's meal deal now they have got to be taking the p**s,' added another. 'I beg that UK supermarkets put a cap on how much they can increase meal deal prices… Sainsbury's I'm looking @ u,' pleaded @bighazeleyeddoe. 'Why tf was my Sainsbury's meal deal £3.95, should we all just give up?' said someone else. Yes, it's always disappointing when you end up paying more money for the same exact items, but if you put it in perspective, Sainsbury's isn't wrong, their meal deal is still better value than most other supermarkets. Tesco, Morrisons and Co-Op all charge £4 for meal deals which is 5p more than Sainsbury's (although some of these prices do lower if you have a loyalty card, for instance Tesco Clubcard holders only pay £3.60). Meanwhile, Boots charges £3.99 and a Waitrose meal deal will set you back an eye-watering £5 – but if you're savvy about it and buy the most expensive options included in the deal, it actually works out as the best value deal of the bunch, saving you £5.30. It may come as a relief to hear the Sainsbury's premium meal deal has remained at £5 – the same price as when it launched back in 2022. The supermarket also pointed out it had added some delicious new additions to the deal, including the Picnic Triple Sandwich, and a Krispy Kreme Glazed Doughnut for a snack. More Trending The now £3.95 meal deal in question includes a main, a snack and a drink and if you want to make the most savings possible, you'll need to pick a certain combination. The best value meal deal you can get from Sainsbury's includes the Picnic Triple sandwich (£3.50), Holy Moly Guacamole Chips & Dip 77g (£1.85) and a Naked Smoothie 300ml (£2.90). This amounts to an £8.25 spend, which means even though the Sainsbury's meal deal has risen to £3.95, you still save £4.30 in total. View More » If you're going for the cheapest option though, you'll pick up the Sainsbury's No Mayo Ham Sandwich (£1.50), a McVitie's Gold Billion Chocolate Wafer (75p) and Aqua Pura Mineral Water 500ml (90p), for a total value of £3.15. The supermarket has added 35 new products to its Food-to-Go range, including some fresh new items to its popular lunch time meal deal. One new highlight? A build-your-salad range. Hungry shoppers can pick a salad base – like the Bistro salad, Cheddar Garden, or Greek salad (£2.75 each) – then pack on a choice of five proteins. Shoppers can add on options including salt and chilli chicken thigh chunks (£1.50) or falafels (£1.30). Along with a drink, the build-your-salad option is the standard meal deal price of £3.75. But there's more… Sainsbury's new Premium Meal Deal mains Taste the Difference Njudja Chicken Caesar Wrap, £4.25 Taste the Difference Deli Meats Grab Bag, £4.25 Taste the Difference Gochujang Chicken Salad, £4.50 Taste the Difference Green Goddess Salad, £4.50 Taste the Difference Mexican Sweet Potato Salad, £4.50 Taste the Difference Antipasti Platter, £4.25 Sainsbury's new core meal deal mains by Sainsbury's Bistro Salad, £2.75 Sainsbury's Bistro Salad, £2.75 by Sainsbury's Cheddar Garden Salad, £2.75 Sainsbury's Cheddar Garden Salad, £2.75 by Sainsbury's Greek Salad, £2.75 Sainsbury's Greek Salad, £2.75 by Sainsbury's Chicken and Red Pesto Sandwich, £3.15 Sainsbury's Chicken and Red Pesto Sandwich, £3.15 by Sainsbury's Korean Style Gochujang Chicken Wrap, £3.15 Sainsbury's Korean Style Gochujang Chicken Wrap, £3.15 by S ainsbury's BBQ Chicken Pasta, £2.95 ainsbury's BBQ Chicken Pasta, £2.95 by Sainsbury's Katsu Chicken Salad, £3.00 Do you have a story to share? Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@ MORE: 'Elite' US fast food chain to open new sites across the UK MORE: McDonald's just launched its 'most McDonald's burger ever' in the UK MORE: Tesco rivals Aldi by slashing prices of 80 most popular supermarket items Your free newsletter guide to the best London has on offer, from drinks deals to restaurant reviews.
The Independent
6 hours ago
- The Independent
Mike Lynch's tragic superyacht to be finally raised from Sicily seabed this weekend
A British superyacht, which tragically sank off Sicily last August claiming seven lives, including that of UK tech magnate Mike Lynch, is scheduled to be recovered from the seabed this weekend. The vessel, a British-flagged superyacht, has been submerged since the incident. The complex salvage operation saw a significant breakthrough with the removal of the yacht's 72-meter (236-foot) mast. This crucial step allowed the hull to be brought to a nearly upright position, accelerating the overall recovery schedule by approximately a week. The mast itself has been left on the seabed for future retrieval. TMC Marine, the salvage company overseeing the operation, confirmed that the vessel is set to be lifted from a depth of 50 meters (164 feet) by a powerful maritime floating crane barge on Saturday, weather permitting. The superyacht is then expected to be brought to port by Monday. Lifting the 56-meter (184-foot) Bayesian requires the installation of eight main steel lifting straps, along with four previously installed, the company said. During the recent operations, salvage crews removed a life raft and deck furniture, which were brought to the port. TMC has previously recovered suspected debris from the seabed using a remote-controlled submersible. Marine salvage experts began the operation in early May to recover the superyacht, but the operation was temporarily halted after a diver's death a few days later. A new recovery plan was approved last week. British investigators in an interim report issued last month said that the yacht was knocked over by 'extreme wind' and couldn't recover. The report stated that the Bayesian had chosen the site where it sank as shelter from forecast thunderstorms. Wind speeds exceeded 70 knots (81 mph.) at the time of the sinking at 4:06 a.m. on Aug. 19 and 'violently' knocked the vessel over to a 90-degree angle in under 15 seconds. Italian authorities are conducting a full criminal investigation. Billionaire entrepreneur Lynch, 59, and his daughter Hannah, 18, were among the dead when the Bayesian sank. Fifteen people survived. The boat trip was a celebration of Lynch's acquittal in a fraud case in the U.S. in June. Fifteen people survived the accident.
