Air India cancels 6 Dreamliner international flights amid increased scrutiny of Boeing's flagship aircraft
Air India Tuesday cancelled as many as six international flights, all using the 787-8 Dreamliner, amid increased scrutiny of Boeing's flagship aircraft following the horrific crash in Ahmedabad last week that killed 241 people on board.
The cancelled services are 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). In addition to these, a technical issue also affected a Dreamliner operating as AI 315 to Delhi, forcing the pilot to return to Hong Kong.
Earlier in the day, Air India flight (AI 159) from Ahmedabad to London was cancelled due to the unavailability of aircraft, media reports said.
AI 159 was rescheduled for a takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 3 pm.
Following this, an Air India flight (AI 143) from New Delhi to Paris was cancelled after an issue was identified during the "mandatory pre-flight checks", media reports said.
As a result of this, the return flight (AI 142) from Paris to New Delhi scheduled on Wednesday has been cancelled.
The airline said it would make alternate arrangements for the passengers, provide hotel accommodation and give full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling.
A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from San Francisco was halted at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata in the early hours on Tuesday due to technical snag.
The flight, which was halted in Kolkata at 5:20 am, had suffered a technical snag in one of its engines.
All passengers were deplaned safely.
The decision was taken in the interest of flight safety, the captain of the flight said.
On Monday, a Delhi-bound Air India flight from Hong Kong returned soon after takeoff due to technical glitch. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner made a return when the pilot of AI315 aircraft suspected a technical issue.
The aircraft returned as a precautionary measure, the airline said.
These took place days after a London-bound Air India Boeing Dreamliner flight crashed soon after takeoff near the Ahmedabad airport killing 279 including on-ground people.
241 out of 242 onboard passengers and crew members were killed in the crash, which is one of the country's worst aviation tragedies.
One person, the passenger of seat No. 11A, survived the crash miraculously.
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