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Mint
7 hours ago
- Mint
Air India cancels 7 flights in 24 hours, amid ongoing fallout from Ahmedabad plane crash
Air India Plane Crash: On 17 June 2025, Air India announced the cancellation of several key international flights, affecting passengers across various routes. Affected routes include Ahmedabad to London, Delhi to Paris, London to Amritsar, Mumbai-San Francisco, and more. DGCA also said on Tuesday that several AI flights were cancelled by Air India, of which five were Boeing 787 operated aircraft. The aviation watchdog also advised Air India to take measures to mitigate delays due to maintenance issues after the airline said latest cancellations and delays are due to technical faults & other factors . The Air India cancellations follow operational issues and precautionary measures mandated by MoCA after the recent Ahmedabad plane crash that killed 241 passengers and crew. Air India flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick was cancelled due to the unavailability of the aircraft. The airline cited airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks as reasons, emphasising that the cancellation was not due to any technical fault. This cancellation also led to the subsequent cancellation of flight AI-170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar on the same day. Following the Ahmedabad-London cancellation, the London Gatwick to Amritsar flight AI-170 was also cancelled on 17 June. This disruption impacted many passengers travelling between the UK and northern India. Air India's Delhi to Paris flight AI-143 was cancelled after mandatory pre-flight checks revealed a hydraulic issue. Due to night operation restrictions at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, the flight could not be delayed and was cancelled. Consequently, the return flight AI-142 from Paris to Delhi on 18 June was also cancelled. The airline is providing alternative arrangements and hotel accommodation to affected passengers. On 17 June 2025, Air India reportedly cancelled flight AI 915 from Delhi to Dubai amid ongoing operational disruptions following the recent Ahmedabad crash. This cancellation marks the sixth Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight grounded that day as the airline conducts rigorous post-crash safety checks. Official confirmation is awaited, but media reports indicate the aircraft developed technical issues during pre-flight inspections, prompting the cancellation. Similarly, flight AI 153 from Delhi to Vienna is believed to have been cancelled on the same day, though the airline has yet to officially confirm this. Like other affected flights, this cancellation is likely linked to precautionary measures and maintenance checks on the Dreamliner fleet. Air India also cancelled its Bengaluru to London and Mumbai to San Francisco flights on 17 June. The Air India Mumbai-San Francisco flight was terminated at Kolkata due to a suspected technical snag, prompting passengers to deplane and causing disruption at the airport. Air India's Bengaluru to London flight was cancelled on 17 June 2025, adding to the growing list of international flight disruptions faced by the airline in the wake of recent operational challenges. While detailed official reasons for this specific cancellation have not been extensively disclosed, it is understood to be part of the wider impact of technical and logistical issues affecting Air India's fleet, particularly involving Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners. Air India has offered full refunds to passengers affected by the cancellations on 17 June. The airline informed that travellers can request refunds through the airline's official website under the 'Manage Booking' section or by contacting Air India's reservation offices. Refunds will be credited to the original payment method, and the airline has assured passengers that cancellation charges will be waived given the exceptional circumstances.
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First Post
8 hours ago
- Business
- First Post
After crash, Air India woes continue: Why has airline cancelled multiple flights in past 72 hours?
Air India has cancelled multiple flights over the past 72 hours, including seven on Tuesday alone. The development comes against the backdrop of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordering the airline to perform one-time safety checks. Why have so many flights been called off? read more Early Tuesday, Air India flight AI180 — flying from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata — faced a technical snag in its left engine, forcing all passengers to deboard. File image/PTI Since the Ahmedabad plane crash, India has been witnessing turmoil in the skies. Air India has cancelled multiple flights over the past 72 hours including seven on Tuesday alone. The development comes in the backdrop of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordering Air India to perform one-time safety checks. The aviation regulator has ordered exhaustive maintenance checks on 787-8/9 variants equipped with GEnx engines, including assessments of certain take-off parameters, electronic engine control tests and engine fuel-related checks. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But why all these flights being cancelled? What do we know? Let's take a closer look: Air India Air India on Tuesday called off seven international flights. These included the AI-915 (Delhi–Dubai), AI-153 (Delhi–Vienna), AI-143 (Delhi–Paris), AI-159 (Ahmedabad–London), AI-133 (Bengaluru–London) and AI-170 (London–Amritsar) and AI179 (Mumbai-San Francisco). Of these, six were Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners – the same model involved in the Ahmedabad plane crash that left over 270 dead. Air India cited multiple reasons for the cancellations including technical issues (AI-143 to Paris) and aircraft unavailability (AI-159 to London). 'Flight AI 143 from Delhi to Paris on 17 June has been cancelled. The mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed. However, in view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport, the said flight has been cancelled… We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Consequently, flight AI 142 from Paris to Delhi on 17 June 2025 also stands cancelled,' Air India said in a statement. The AI179 to San Francisco suffered a technical snag during a stopover at Kolkata – following which all passengers were deboarded. On Monday, the airline called off the AI-2493 flight from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. The development comes in the backdrop of the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordering Air India to perform one-time safety checks. Reuters This occurred after the crew reached their Flight Duty Time limit after operational delays. '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,' Air India said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The DGCA has called an urgent meeting with representatives from the airline on Tuesday evening. The DGCA Director General is expected to chair the meeting. On Monday, AI-315 from Hong Kong to Delhi turned back shortly after take-off. This occurred after a technical glitch. 'We don't want to continue further,' the pilot told air traffic control (ATC). An Air India flight to Ranchi also returned to Delhi after a technical issue. An Air India flight from Phuket to New Delhi returned to Thailand after a bomb threat. All 156 passengers on flight AI-379 are safe. Air India on Monday also cancelled flights to Sydney and Melbourne. 'The cancellations are due to a combination of factors including enhanced inspection which took longer time than expected and closure of the Iranian airspace,' an Air India official told passengers. Air India has 33 Boeing 787s in its fleet. IndiGo, other airlines Meanwhile, IndiGo flight 6E 2706 from Muscat to Delhi via Kochi made an emergency landing at Nagpur airport after a bomb threat. 'All passengers have been deboarded, investigation is underway, nothing suspicious has been found so far,' DCP Nagpur Lohit Matani was quoted as saying. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also on Tuesday, two Dreamliners operated by Lufthansa and British Airways – flying from Frankfurt and London to Hyderabad and Chennai respectively – were forced to turn around and land at their airports of origin. The Lufthansa flight was forced to make a U-turn over a bomb threat. A passenger on board said that the plane had 'landed safely', with the pilot apologising for the 'inconvenience caused' by the delay due to matters 'beyond their control'. With inputs from agencies
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Indian Express
Several Boeing 787-operated Air India flights cancelled on Tuesday amid DGCA-mandated enhanced technical checks
Various Boeing 787-operated flights of Air India were cancelled Tuesday as the enhanced safety inspections mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) led to delays and non-availability of aircraft in most cases, according to sources in the know. As per flight tracking data, at least nine Air India flights that were to be operated using the Boeing 787 aircraft have been cancelled so far on Tuesday. These include AI-143 (Delhi-Paris), AI-159 (Ahmedabad-London Gatwick), AI-915 (Delhi-Dubai), AI-153 (Delhi-Vienna), and AI-133 (Bengaluru-London). In most of these cases, as the flight from India was cancelled, it led to the cancellation of the return leg that was to be operated by the same aircraft. The number may rise further and in some cases, spill over to Wednesday. Following the tragic crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft in Ahmedabad on Thursday, the DGCA had directed the airline to carry out additional maintenance inspections on all 33 of its 787s. The aircraft was operating a flight between Ahmedabad and London Gatwick and had 242 people on board. All but one of those on board perished in the crash. There were several casualties on the ground as well. The enhanced checks ordered by the DGCA include a one-time pre-departure check of aircraft systems and parameters including fuel parameters monitoring and associated system, cabin air compressor and associated systems, electronic engine control system, engine fuel-driven actuator and oil system, hydraulic system serviceability, and take-off parameters. Additionally, flight control inspection was to be introduced in transit inspection till further notice. Power assurance checks were also mandated. On Saturday, Air India had announced that the checks were being performed, and informed passengers that some of these could 'lead to higher turnaround time and potential delays on certain long-haul routes, especially those to airports with operating curfews'. On Tuesday, the carrier's Delhi-Paris flight (AI-143) was cancelled because the 'mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue'. While the issue was 'being addressed', given that the Paris airport has a night curfew—restrictions on operations at night—the airline had to cancel the flight, Air India said. Consequently, the return flight AI-142 from Paris to Delhi was also cancelled. On the cancellation of flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick, an Air India spokesperson said that it was cancelled 'due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions (in West Asia) and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft'. There was speculation that the flight was cancelled due to a technical snag with the aircraft, but Air India denied that. Consequently, flight AI-170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar was also cancelled as the same aircraft was to operate this flight. Similarly, Delhi-Dubai flight (AI-915) and the return flight (AI-916) were cancelled, and so were the Bengaluru-London flight (AI-133) and its return leg (AI-132). In these cases, too, the aircraft that were to operate these flights were not available due to delays or being deployed on other sectors amid the fleet-wide enhanced checks, per sources. Air India's Delhi-Vienna flight (AI-153) was also cancelled. In addition to these 787-operated flights, the airline's Mumbai-San Francisco flight (AI-179) — operated by a Boeing 777 aircraft — was also cancelled as the plane that had to operate the flight was unavailable due to technical issues. It had developed a snag during a technical halt at the Kolkata airport during its previous flight from San Francisco to Mumbai. Sukalp Sharma is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express and writes on a host of subjects and sectors, notably energy and aviation. He has over 13 years of experience in journalism with a body of work spanning areas like politics, development, equity markets, corporates, trade, and economic policy. He considers himself an above-average photographer, which goes well with his love for travel. ... Read More
