Air India Flights Face Fresh Snags, Cancellations Amid Post-Crash Scrutiny

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 17th June: Air India is grappling with a series of flight cancellations and technical issues, intensifying scrutiny on the airline just days after the tragic crash of its AI 171 flight in Ahmedabad. The airline confirmed on Tuesday the cancellation of its Delhi-Paris (AI 143) service due to a pre-flight check issue, which also led to the cancellation of the return Paris-Delhi (AI 142) flight.

Air India stated that the “issue flagged by pre-flight checks is being addressed.” However, the delay meant AI 143 would violate night-time operation restrictions at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport. “We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and are making alternative arrangements,” an airline spokesperson said, offering hotel accommodation, full refunds, or complimentary rescheduling.

This marks the second Air India cancellation in quick succession, following the scrapping of its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick service (AI 159, formerly AI 171) earlier, citing aircraft unavailability due to airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks.

Post-Ahmedabad: Dreamliners Hit by Technical Issues
The airline’s operational challenges come in the wake of the horrific June 12 crash of Air India’s AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick route, which crashed seconds after take-off. Videos depicted the aircraft slamming into buildings near the airport, including a college hostel, and exploding into a fireball, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. As a mark of respect, Air India has since retired the 171 call sign.

In the immediate aftermath of the AI-171 crash, three other India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners, operated by British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air India itself, were forced to return to their origin airports. One such incident involved a Hong Kong-Delhi Air India flight (AI-315) that returned 15 minutes after takeoff due to a “technical issue.” The other two affected flights originated from Frankfurt (to Hyderabad) and London (to Chennai).

Adding to the concerns, an Air India San Francisco-Mumbai flight via Kolkata also suffered a technical snag in its left engine early Tuesday, leading to passengers being deboarded during a halt at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport, PTI reported.

Investigation Underway for AI 171 Crash
Meanwhile, the Flight Data Recorder (FDR) and Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) from the crashed AI 171 plane have been successfully recovered and are currently being analyzed by investigators. The government has formed a high-level committee to oversee the inquiry. Information from these “black boxes” is expected to provide crucial insights into the cause of the AI 171 crash, bringing investigators closer to understanding the sequence of events that led to the tragedy.