Renamed AI-171 amongst 13 Dreamliners affected in 1 day

At least 13 Air India Dreamliner flights, together with one on the Ahmedabad-London route that was restarted after a deadly crash on June 12, had been grounded resulting from technical or operational points on Tuesday as regulatory checks and the closure of airspace on some sectors continued to disrupt the airline’s schedules. Among the flights cancelled on Tuesday was Air India Flight AI-159, a Dreamliner, first scheduled to depart Ahmedabad at 1.10pm. (REUTERS) The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated 66 Boeing 787 Dreamliner flights — the kind of plane concerned within the crash — had been cancelled by the airline since June 12, amongst 83 cancellations involving the airline’s broader widebody fleet. On June 12, the airline operated 90 wide-body flights, out of which 50 had been on 787s. Out of those, six had been cancelled, together with 5 on Dreamliners. To make sure, such cancellations aren’t new to the airline. According to figures introduced in Parliament, Air India averaged round 4 cancellations per day resulting from technical or operational causes in 2024, based mostly on information until September. The regulator held a high-level assembly with senior officers of Air India and Air India Express on Tuesday and said the airways are “currently operating over 1,000 flights daily across domestic and international sectors.” The airline was instructed by the aviation regulator to conduct enhanced security checks on its fleet of Dreamliners after Thursday’s crash, whereas groups of Indian, US, and UK investigators in addition to these from Boeing and the engine-maker GE are in Ahmedabad to research the explanations behind the accident. Among the flights cancelled on Tuesday was Air India Flight AI-159, a Dreamliner, first scheduled to depart Ahmedabad at 1.10pm. A delayed depature set for 3pm was cancelled because of the “unavailability of the aircraft”., the airline stated, including that the jet that was meant to fly on the route had arrived late from London. Airspace restrictions and extra precautionary checks had led to a delay within the turnaround of plane, a spokesperson stated, whereas denying claims of a technical snag. “Consequently, flight AI-170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar of 17 June stands cancelled,” the spokesperson added. AI-159 is the Air India’s new designation for Flight 171. It was this flight — a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — that crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad Airport on Thursday, killing 241 out of 242 passengers and crew and not less than 30 extra on the crash website and its neighbourhood. HT reported on June 14that Air India would withdraw the flight quantity 171 for the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick and substitute it with 159. The airline had warned on June 13 {that a} wave of Israeli assaults on Iran, and the ensuing closure of airspace, might probably have an effect on flight schedules. According to DGCA, 24 of the corporate’s 33 Dreamliners have undergone these checks as of Tuesday. “An additional 2 aircraft are planned for completion today, with 1 more scheduled for tomorrow. The remaining 6 aircraft include 2 aircraft, which are presently AOG at Delhi,” the DGCA stated in a press release. AOG refers to “aircraft on ground”, jets which might be out of use briefly, which could possibly be resulting from upkeep work. Another seven flights had been delayed, which included two return flights impacted as a result of the jet that was for use on the sector was held up, both because of the security checks or due to the route-related points. Among this was AI-143 from Delhi to Paris, which was cancelled after points recognized throughout necessary pre-flight checks required time to handle. “The mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed. However, in view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris airport, the said flight has been cancelled,” the airline stated. As a outcome, the return flight AI-142 from Paris to Delhi on June 18 was additionally cancelled. Air India’s flight AI-180 from San Francisco to Mumbai by way of Kolkata was terminated in Kolkata after one in every of its engines developed a technical snag. The Boeing 777-200LR was carrying 211 passengers. The return flight AI-179 from Mumbai to San Francisco was additionally cancelled. The airline sometimes operates direct flights on this route, however resulting from ongoing geopolitical points together with the closure of Pakistani airspace, the flight was rerouted with a deliberate technical halt in Kolkata. Other cancellations included Delhi-Dubai (AI-915), Bengaluru-London Heathrow (AI-133), and Delhi-Vienna (AI-153). Additionally, flights on Delhi-Indore-Delhi, Delhi-Trivandrum-Delhi, Delhi-Mumbai-Delhi and Delhi-Hyderabad-Delhi had been cancelled resulting from climate causes. Safety skilled Mohan Ranganathan stated the a number of disruptions had been anticipated given the circumstances. “The airline has lost one Dreamliner aircraft in the crash, it is undergoing checks on all the B787s that takes hours to get clearance for operations. Plus, Pakistan and Iran airspace is closed leading to crew duty time limitations — all this will definitely have a major impact on their network.” The airline stated it was offering lodge lodging and providing full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling to affected passengers, whereas making different preparations to fly them to their locations.