Air India cancels flight from Ahmedabad to London due to unavailability of aircraft
Days after the fatal Dreamliner crash in Gujarat, Air India's Ahmedabad to London flight AI159 was cancelled on Tuesday due to unavailabilty of aircraft.
"Flight AI159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick has been cancelled today due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed," Air India said in a statement.
"We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Consequently, flight AI170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar on 17th June stands cancelled," the statement added.
The flight, scheduled to depart at 1.10 PM IST from Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport to London Gatwick Airport, was cancelled, as per Flightradar24. Following the recent crash of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which claimed 241 lives onboard, Air India discontinued the use of flight number 'AI 171'. The aircraft, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on its way to London Gatwick, was operating as AI 171.
The Ahmedabad–London Gatwick flight was set to operate under the new number AI 159, today, for the first time.Also Read: Delhi-bound IndiGo flight receives bomb threat; makes emergency landing in NagpurOf late, Air India operations were disrupted on multiple international routes. The airline faced technical issues on two wide-body aircraft in the last two days. In Kolkata, Flight AI180, a Boeing 777-200LR, landed as scheduled at 00:45 hours. However, a technical snag in the left engine delayed its next departure. Engineers began inspections soon after the issue was flagged on the ground.
Also Read: Air India's Boeing 777-200LR flight from San Francisco to Mumbai suffers technical snag; passengers deplaned in Kolkata Meanwhile on Monday, a Delhi-bound Air India Dreamliner (Boeing 787-8) operating from Hong Kong was forced to return to the departure airport. The pilot in command suspected a technical problem shortly after takeoff and opted to turn back as a precautionary measure.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Bird strike detected after Air India aircraft from Delhi lands in Pune
Pune: A bird hit was detected on an Air India's Delhi-Pune flight after it landed in the city on Friday morning, prompting cancellation of the aircraft's return journey. The flight (AI-2469) — an Airbus A-320 — took off from Delhi at 5.24am instead of its scheduled time of 4.45am and landed at Pune airport with close to 100 flyers at 6.55am. Air India, grappling with multiple problems after the plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, confirmed the incident. A source in the airport said the right engine of the aircraft was hit. An Air India spokesperson told TOI, "Flight AI-2470, scheduled to operate from Pune to Delhi on June 20, has been cancelled because of a bird hit, detected after the incoming flight landed safely in Pune. The aircraft has been grounded to carry out extensive checks. Inconvenience caused to our passengers because of this unforeseen disruption is sincerely regretted and every effort is being made to minimise it, including providing accommodation to passengers. Refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling are also being offered to guests who opt for it." The airline's spokesperson said, "Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to Delhi. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remains our top priority." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Thị trường có dấu hiệu suy thoái không? IC Markets Đăng ký Undo The airline officials didn't disclose the extent of damage the aircraft encountered. "Apart from the official statement, we don't have anything more to say for now," another airline official said. A Delhi-bound flyer said he was at the airport when the Air India flight was suddenly cancelled. "It was supposed to take off at 7.40am and land in Delhi at 10am. I had an important meeting to attend in Delhi at 2pm. The airline cancelled the flight after suddenly stating that there was an operational issue, forcing me to take a last-minute flight of another airline to Delhi. I was initially angry, but was scared when I came to know about the bird strike incident," the Koregaon Park resident and a business executive with a company, said. Airport director Santosh Dhoke said, "We just got the information that the aircraft encountered a problem. Their (Air India) engineering department will look into details. We aren't allowed to go near the aircraft in such situations." A source in the airport said, "The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) will conduct the investigation into the incident. They will look at all aspects, and are expected to talk to the pilots and the cabin crew." Captain Arpit Manshani, who flies both planes and choppers, said, "After a bird strike, the pilot in command is supposed to fill a 'bird strike form' and submit it to the internal safety department of the airline. They further report the incident to the DGCA. All these procedures are written in the operator's manuals. Depending on the severity of the strike, after landing, the engineering team does their checks as per their manuals and releases the aircraft again for service. "
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
EXPANSION ON, ISSUES REMAIN
On May 24, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi had announced an ambitious plan to boost Odisha's urbanisation rate from the current 17% to 40% by 2036 and 60% by 2047. The announcement, made during the 10th governing council meeting of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, detailed the govt's urbanisation plan which includes developing a massive 7,000sqkm metropolitan region – comparable to the size of the Hyderabad Metropolitan region – encompassing Bhubaneswar, Khurda, Jatni, Cuttack, Paradip and Puri. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now When it comes to urbanisation, of all the infrastructural facilities that require attention and expansion, an airport is one of most important structures that plays a key role. And in the aftermath of the plane crash in Ahmedabad airport last week, focus on aviation-related infrastructural facilities has become paramount. "The existing airport in Bhubaneswar, despite recent upgrades, is approaching saturation, struggling to accommodate growing passenger traffic and bigger aircraft and large cargo operations. The proposed metropolitan area's economic potential, coupled with increasing tourism and business activities, demands a new and strategically located airport outside Bhubaneswar," former Air India pilot and BJD leader Manmath Routray said. The state budget in Feb had proposed to establish a greenfield airport in Paradip to accelerate growth in industry and to further expand the aviation map across industrial clusters in coastal areas. A greenfield airport in Puri has also been planned. The previous BJD govt had planned the Shree Jagannath International Airport in Puri. As per the plan, considering Bhubaneswar's saturation, Puri was planned to become fully an international airport and Bhubaneswar fully domestic. Recently Majhi also discussed expediting work on the proposed airport in Puri and upgrading the existing one in Rourkela. Routray added that a new airport would not only decongest the existing facility but also catalyse economic growth across the planned metropolitan region. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It would enhance connectivity, boost tourism, and support the region's industrial development. "The project aligns with Odisha's vision of becoming an economic powerhouse in eastern India," he said. The Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) operates over 100 flights daily on an average and more than 35,000 flights annually. In 2013, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) had planned a comprehensive expansion plan requiring 64 acres of additional land. The primary objective was to extend the runway from 9,000ft to 10,500ft, which would have enabled the airport to accommodate bigger aircraft like Boeing 777, 787 and 747, along with special cargo planes. Despite multiple negotiations spanning several years, the state govt's offer in March 2017 fell short of the requirement. It proposed allocating only 47 acres of land, currently under the control of Odisha University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT), against the required 64 acres. This land shortage then prompted AAI to reconsider its expansion strategy. Airport authorities have indicated that the existing runway is sufficient for current commercial operations, leading the AAI to shift its focus towards improving infrastructure and passenger services instead. "To expand the existing runway from 2274 meters to over 3000 meters, we need land in length and not in width. We can get 47 acres from OUAT but require another 17 acres that need to be acquired by displacing a part of Baramunda village," BPIA director Prasanna Pradhan said. But even if a new airport comes up, there will be mushrooming of houses and towers and other structures - which may pose a threat to aircraft - around it. "Expanding an airport or constructing a new one will boost growth and that will also lead to growth in other sectors, like real estate for instance. In case of Delhi's IGI airport as well, there are residential areas along Dwarka and Vasant Kunj end. Even the airport in Bengaluru, which is situated around 40 km from the township, now has houses coming up near it," hotelier Debashis Patnaik said. While the runway expansion plan is facing a dead end for now, BPIA is set to get a third terminal to enhance domestic operations. The proposed terminal (T3), to be constructed over a 30,000 square metre area, may pave the way for segregated handling of arrivals and departures. Currently, BPIA operates with two terminals - T1 for domestic flights and T2 for international operations.
The Hindu
5 hours ago
- The Hindu
Cognizant to invest $183 million for new India campus, add 8,000 jobs
Software services firm Cognizant Technology Solutions will invest ₹15.82 billion ($182.76 million) to build a new campus in the southern Indian city of Vishakapatanam that will create about 8,000 jobs, the State Government announced on Friday (June 20, 2025). Commercial operations will begin in March 2029, an Andhra Pradesh Government press release said. Cognizant did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement comes just months after India's top IT firm, Tata Consultancy Services, unveiled plans for ₹13.70 billion campus in the same city, and is expected generate 12,000 jobs. The move aligns with Cognizant's strategy to optimise real estate costs. In May 2023, Chief Executive Ravi Kumar S. said the company would relinquish 11 million square feet of office space globally, mainly in India's largest cities, while investing in tier-2 Indian cities. Globally, IT companies, including those in India's $283 billion sector, are taking cost-cutting measures such as monetising real estate assets and delaying wage increases amid demand uncertainty. Last month, the Teaneck, New Jersey-based company raised its annual revenue forecast and beat first-quarter results driven by increased demand for AI-powered IT services. Cognizant expects 2025 annual revenue between $20.5 billion and $21.0 billion, compared to previous outlook of the midpoint of $20.30 billion to $20.80 billion. ($1 = 86.5625 Indian rupees)
