A total of seven Air India international flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to varying reasons, including technical glitches and aircraft unavailability.
Six among the cancelled flights were scheduled to be operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, the same passenger mode involved in the Ahmedabad crash that killed over 270 people.
The flights cancelled include:
AI915 - Delhi to Dubai - B788 Dreamliner
AI153 - Delhi to Vienna - B788 Dreamliner
AI143 - Delhi to Paris - B788 Dreamliner
AI159 - Ahmedabad to London - B788 Dreamliner
AI170 - London to Amritsar - B788 Dreamliner
AI133 - Bengaluru to London - B788 Dreamliner
AI179 - Mumbai to San Francisco - B777
For Delhi-Paris, Air India said that the cancellation was due to pre-flight checks revealing a technical issue while the disruption on the Ahmedabad-London sector was due to aircraft unavailability.
Reasons for the other cancellations were not immediately known, but they reflected on Air India's website.
Following the crash of 12 AI 171 on June 12, Air India has enhanced safety checks on its flights, especially of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet. These checks are likely to have stressed the airline's flight schedule, leading to these cancellations.
"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," said Air India in a statement.
The Air India flight AI 159 from Ahmedabad to London, the first since the deadly crash last week, was scheduled to take off at 1.10 pm on Tuesday.
The flight was renamed as AI 159 after Air India retired the AI 171 following the deadly crash that killed over 270 people.
Similarly, the Air India flight from Indira Gandhi International airport in Delhi to Charles de Gaulle (GDG) airport in Paris was also cancelled on Tuesday after the aircraft developed an issue during the pre-flight checks. The issue is presently being addressed by the airline.
An Air India flight AI 180, flying from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata also suffered a technical snag in one of its engines, forcing passengers to deplane during the scheduled halt at West Bengal's capital early on Tuesday.
Flight AI180, a Boeing 777-200LR, landed in Kolkata at 12.45 am and was scheduled to depart for Mumbai at 2 am. However, during its scheduled halt, a technical snag was detected in the aircraft's left engine, delaying its onward journey. Around 5.20 am, an announcement was made on board asking all passengers to deplane.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has called for an urgent meeting with officials from Air India and Air India Express. The DGCA Director General is expected to chair the meeting.
This comes in the wake of recent incidents involving Air India flights, including the Ahmedabad crash and issues with Dreamliner aircraft. The agenda of the meeting is not yet clear, but it may address the recent flight cancellations, diversions, and delays reported by Air India.