Pilots had to cancel Wednesday's takeoff of Air India flight AI2403, which was headed to Kolkata from Delhi, when they noticed a technical issue as the plane was speeding down the runway. The plane had reached a speed of 155 kilometres per hour when the incident happened, and the pilots quickly applied brakes to bring it to a stop at around 5:30 pm.
According to a statement released by Air India, Flight AI2403 was originally scheduled to depart from Delhi for Kolkata. But during the take-off roll, a technical problem was discovered, so the cockpit crew decided to stop the takeoff in accordance with their 'Standard Operating Procedures.' "Flight AI2403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening, necessitated by a technical issue detected during the take-off roll. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off, following Standard Operating Procedures," the airline's statement elaborated.
Following the aborted take-off, all passengers safely disembarked the aircraft. The impacted passengers are currently receiving assistance from Air India's ground crew in Delhi, the airline confirmed. The airline reiterated that passenger safety and well-being are its 'top priority' and sincerely apologised for any inconvenience this 'unforeseen disruption' has caused.
Also Read: Government flags 183 aircraft faults in 2025 so far
Concerns concerning Air India's recent operational problems are raised by this incident, which is the airline's second technical setback in as many days. A 'runway excursion'—a term used by airlines to describe an aircraft veering off the runway—occurred just after landing on an Air India flight from Kochi bound for Mumbai yesterday.
Air India responded to today's incident by confirming that the aircraft involved in the aborted takeoff has been grounded for extensive inspections, which are currently in progress. Additionally, while a thorough investigation into the events leading up to the scare is conducted, the two pilots who were operating Flight AI2403 have been 'derostered'—removed from active flying duties.
Also Read: Post-crash DGCA audit exposes maintenance gaps in Air India fleet
Follow us
