New Delhi: An Air India flight traveling from San Francisco to Mumbai was grounded in Kolkata early Tuesday after a technical issue was detected in one of its engines. Flight AI180, which landed on schedule at Kolkata airport at 12:45 a.m., was unable to continue its journey due to a malfunction in the left engine. By 5:20 a.m., passengers were asked to disembark following an announcement from the crew, according to news agency ANI.
The captain emphasized that the decision to deplane was made to prioritize passenger safety. This incident follows another operational hiccup for Air India on Monday, when flight AI2493 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was canceled. ANI reported that the Airbus A321-211 (VT-PPL) faced initial delays for unspecified reasons, and the assigned crew exceeded their Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), a safety regulation capping crew working hours, resulting in the cancellation.
Air India Express Flight Returns to Delhi After Technical Glitch
In a separate incident on Monday, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi was forced to return to Delhi shortly after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue. The Boeing 737 Max 8, originally set to arrive at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 6:20 p.m., safely landed back in the capital. An airline spokesperson confirmed that after thorough inspections, the aircraft was cleared to resume operations.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the return of one of our flights to Delhi following a suspected technical issue,” the Air India Express spokesperson said. “The aircraft has since been inspected, cleared, and returned to service.”
Additionally, on the same day, Air India flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was forced to return to Hong Kong mid-flight after the pilot reported a potential technical problem. The flight, which was expected to land in Delhi at 12:20 p.m. per FlightRadar24, safely deboarded all passengers. The aircraft is now undergoing a safety inspection, ANI reported.
With inputs from ANI