New Delhi, June 17: Air India on Tuesday cancelled its scheduled Ahmedabad–London flight due to a technical malfunction, marking the fourth disruption for the airline within 24 hours.
The cancelled flight, AI159, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was set to depart at 1:10 pm and would have been the first to operate on the route since the tragic crash on June 12 near Ahmedabad airport that involved the same aircraft model and claimed several lives. The aircraft had arrived earlier from Delhi.
Air India confirmed the cancellation and assured that full refunds would be issued to affected passengers.
The incident has reignited concerns over the airline’s Dreamliner fleet. Earlier in the day, flight AI-180 from San Francisco to Mumbai reported an engine issue during a scheduled stop in Kolkata, prompting a precautionary deplaning.
On Monday, two other Air India flights encountered problems: AI-315 from Hong Kong to Delhi returned shortly after takeoff due to a suspected technical fault, and an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi turned back following a technical snag.
In a separate incident last week, flight AI-379 from Phuket to Delhi made a mid-air return after a bomb threat. The aircraft landed safely and underwent a full security check.
The recent spate of disruptions has raised renewed questions over Air India’s operational safety, especially in the wake of the Ahmedabad Dreamliner crash.
