9 Air India flights cancelled today, one grounded after bird hit en route Pune
An Air India flight from Delhi to Pune was grounded on Friday following a bird hit and eight other services were cancelled due to enhanced maintenance and operational reasons. The move came amid pre-enhanced safety checks mandated for all Air India 787 Dreamliners following last week's deadly Ahmedabad-London AI171 crash, which claimed 270 lives.Flight AI2470 suffered a bird hit that was detected after the incoming flight landed safely at Pune, Air India said. The plane was grounded and extensive checks were being carried out by the engineering team, according to the airline.advertisementMeanwhile, eight other flights, including four international services, were cancelled citing enhanced maintenance and operational reasons. Four domestic flights - AI874 from Pune to Delhi, AI456 from Ahmedabad to Delhi, AI2872 from Hyderabad to Mumbai, and AI571 from Chennai to Mumbai - have been cancelled.
The international flights to be cancelled were AI906 from Dubai to Chennai, AI308 from Delhi to Melbourne, AI309 from Melbourne to Delhi and AI2204 from Dubai to Hyderabad.Air India said its ground teams were making alternative arrangements for their passengers to fly to their respective destinations at the earliest. It also offered full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling to passengers.AIR INDIA SLASHES 38 INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS PER WEEKAir India said on Thursday that it will slash 38 international flights per week and suspend services on three overseas routes between June 21 and July 15. The announcement came a day after the national carrier said it was temporarily reducing international flights operating with wide-body planes to 15 per cent, during this period.advertisementThe stringent checks have been in focus after the Centre mandated those following the AI171 crash near Ahmedabad airport on June 12 and to adjust for increased flight durations due to airspace closures in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict.The ill-fated flight carried 242 people - 230 passengers, 10 crew members and two pilots. Only one man, an Indian-origin British national, who was seated on 11A near the emergency exit, survived the tragedy.Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, in a message to flyers, said the pre-flight safety checks' move was a confidence-building measure as part of the airline's enhanced pre-flight safety checks on its Boeing 787 fleet, and, as an added measure, its Boeing 777 aircraft for the time being.The airline apologised to passengers who were affected due to the announcement."Air India apologises to the passengers affected by these curtailments, and is proactively contacting affected passengers to offer re-accommodation on alternative flights, complimentary rescheduling or full refunds as per their preference," it said."The revised schedule is being progressively made available on our website, http://airindia.com, mobile app and through our contact centre. We remain committed to restoring our full schedule as soon as practicable, while at all times prioritising the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft," the airline further said.(with inputs from PTI)Tune InMust Watch
IN THIS STORY#Air India#Ahmedabad Plane Crash#Ahmedabad
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