Nightmare for Air India Dreamliner as 5 international flights cancelled today
At least five Air India international flights- all Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner – were cancelled on Tuesday, days after the London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew.
Air India said on Tuesday its flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick in London has been cancelled due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks. The airline denied claims that the flight has been cancelled due to any technical snag.
Regretting the inconvenience caused to passengers, the airline said alternative arrangements have been made to fly them to their destination.
It said hotel accommodation was being provided, and refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling was also being offered if opted by the passengers
Paris-bound Air India flight 143 from Delhi was also cancelled on Tuesday after pre-flight checks identified an issue, which was currently being addressed, an Air India spokesperson confirmed.
The AI143 has been cancelled because the flight is subject to restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport.
"We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination at the earliest. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers," an Air India spokesperson said.
Consequently, flight AI142 from Paris to Delhi on June 17 also stands cancelled.
Meanwhile, an Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai, with a scheduled stop in Kolkata, was grounded on Tuesday after a technical issue was suspected during a routine post-landing inspection. All passengers were safely deplaned, and some have been accommodated in a hotel in Kolkata.
The termination led to chaotic scenes at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata as the 211 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 LR tried to convince officials to let them reach their destination at the earliest.
There were 228 people on board the aircraft, including pilots and crew. The flight was originally scheduled to depart to Mumbai from Kolkata at 2am on Tuesday.
Usually, Air India flies directly to Mumbai from San Francisco, but the ongoing geopolitical events, including the closure of Pakistani airspace, have led AI to reroute it and take a 'technical halt' in Kolkata. Flight AI180 landed in Kolkata at the scheduled time of 12.45am, even though it took off one hour late from San Francisco.
Earlier in the day, an IndiGo flight 6E 2706, which was travelling from Muscat to Delhi with a layover at Kochi, made an emergency landing at Nagpur airport on Tuesday after a bomb threat was received.
According to Lohit Matani, DCP Nagpur, all passengers have been safely deboarded, and an investigation is currently underway. Preliminary checks have not found anything suspicious so far, officials said.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.
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