Air India cancelled a total of seven international flights on Tuesday, citing a range of operational issues, including technical malfunctions and aircraft unavailability. Of the seven flights, six were operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners — the same aircraft model involved in the tragic Ahmedabad crash last week.
Among the cancelled flights were two well-known routes: Delhi to Paris and Ahmedabad to London. Both flights were grounded after pre-departure inspections revealed technical problems with their respective planes. In addition to those, Bengaluru to London and London to Amritsar were among the other impacted routes. The airline is experiencing ongoing problems as a result of the cancellations, especially with regard to its long-haul international operations.
List of cancelled Air India flights on Tuesday:
AI 915 – Delhi to Dubai – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 153 – Delhi to Vienna – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 143 – Delhi to Paris – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 159 – Ahmedabad to London – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 170 – London to Amritsar – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 133 – Bengaluru to London – Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner
AI 179 – Mumbai to San Francisco – Boeing 777-200LR
Of the above, six cancellations involved the Boeing 787-8, drawing fresh attention to the Dreamliner fleet's operational reliability following the deadly crash of flight AI 171 — also a 787-8 — in Ahmedabad last week. That flight was en route to London Gatwick when it crashed just seconds after takeoff, killing more than 270 people, including passengers and individuals on the ground.
Tuesday’s cancellation of AI 159 from Ahmedabad to London was particularly significant, as it was scheduled to be the first service on the route since the AI 171 crash. The flight was renamed AI 159 after Air India officially retired the AI 171 designation in honour of the lives lost in the disaster. Scheduled to depart at 1:10 pm, the flight was halted after a technical snag was detected, prompting the airline to cancel the operation.
Similarly, AI 143, the Delhi-to-Paris flight scheduled to depart for Charles de Gaulle Airport, was also grounded after a problem surfaced during mandatory pre-flight checks. Air India confirmed that the issue is currently under assessment and repair. An official statement from the airline read, “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.”
Also Read: Post Ahmedabad crash, Boeing's reputation nosedives further
Additional incident involving San Francisco–Mumbai Flight
Further compounding the day's troubles, another Air India flight — AI 180 from San Francisco to Mumbai, operating via Kolkata — experienced a technical malfunction early Tuesday.
The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200LR, landed at Kolkata’s Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport at 12:45 AM for a scheduled halt and was due to depart for Mumbai at 2:00 am. However, a snag was detected in the aircraft’s left engine during ground checks, delaying the onward journey. At approximately 5:20 am, the crew made an onboard announcement requesting all passengers to deplane as a precautionary measure. Passengers were later accommodated accordingly while the technical team attended to the issue.
These developments underscore the growing operational pressure on Air India, especially its Dreamliner fleet, in the wake of the recent tragedy and ongoing safety reviews. Investigations into the AI 171 crash are still underway, with flight safety protocols and aircraft readiness now under heightened scrutiny.
Also Read: Technical glitch: Air India's Ahmedabad-London grounded
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