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Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Air India cancels 8 flights citing enhanced maintenance. Full list
Air India continues to grapple with a wave of flight disruptions as the airline cancelled at least eight more domestic and international flights, citing "enhanced maintenance and operational reasons" on Friday. This comes in the wake of heightened regulatory scrutiny and ongoing safety checks following the fatal crash of a Dreamliner on June 12 that resulted in the deaths of 270. Among the international routes affected on Friday were AI906 (Dubai–Chennai), AI308 (Delhi–Melbourne), AI309 (Melbourne–Delhi), and AI2204 (Dubai–Hyderabad). AI906: Dubai to Chennai AI308: Delhi to Melbourne AI309: Melbourne to Delhi AI2204: Dubai to Hyderabad AI874: Pune to Delhi AI456: Ahmedabad to Delhi AI2872: Hyderabad to Mumbai The cancellations are part of a broader operational crisis for the airline, which is still recovering from the Ahmedabad–London Gatwick Dreamliner crash that claimed 271 lives, including at least 30 on the ground. Following the incident, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered comprehensive safety inspections across Air India's Boeing 787 fleet. According to DGCA data, since the crash, 66 Dreamliner flights have been cancelled. On June 12 alone, six of the 50 Dreamliner-operated flights were grounded. The regulatory body confirmed that as of June 18, 24 of Air India's 33 Dreamliners had undergone checks, with more aircraft scheduled for review in the coming days. Two jets are currently listed as AOG (Aircraft on Ground) in Delhi due to maintenance issues. Today's cancellations add to a growing list of grounded flights this week. On Tuesday, at least 13 Dreamliner flights, including the newly designated AI-159 (formerly AI-171) on the Ahmedabad–London route, were cancelled. That particular aircraft had been expected to resume operations after the crash but was grounded due to 'unavailability of the aircraft.'
The Hindu
7 hours ago
- The Hindu
Uttarakhand — a hotbed for helicopter accidents
The latest helicopter crash in Uttarakhand — which claimed seven lives, among them a two-year-old child, during a Kedarnath pilgrimage flight — adds yet another tragic entry to the State's already long record as a hotbed of helicopter disasters. Within a brief window of barely two months, the latest is the State's fifth helicopter accident. In May this year, six passengers en route to Gangotri Temple were killed when their aircraft crashed in Uttarkashi district. Reports reveal that the same month witnessed two further incidents — one, a near-catastrophe narrowly avoided in Badrinath, and the other, an AIIMS air-ambulance crash that, fortunately, caused no fatalities — while, more recently in June, a Kedarnath-bound chopper was forced into an emergency landing after a technical snag, highlighting a recurrent aviation crisis in the region. This spate recalls October 2022, when three separate helicopter accidents claimed 13 lives. Two of those tragedies struck defence helicopters operating in Arunachal Pradesh, and on October 18 that year, a commercial chopper ferrying Kedarnath pilgrims crashed, killing all seven people aboard. A conservative analysis of incident summaries filed with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau indicates that at least 14 helicopters — many assigned to ferry pilgrims within Uttarakhand's rugged terrain — crashed between 1990 and 2023. The map plots the approximate departure or intended landing sites for 75 commercial helicopters lost during that period, revealing a concentration of accidents in north-eastern hills as well. In the 1990 and 2023 period, 165 people lost their lives in accidents involving commercial helicopters, as shown in the chart. In these incidents, 126 people were injured, too. Following the latest tragedy, police have charged two senior officials of Aryan Aviation Pvt. Ltd. — the operator of the crashed helicopter — with alleged negligence. Notably, the company also owned the Kedarnath-bound chopper that went down in October 2022, killing seven, and another aircraft that crashed in 2019 after striking an overhead cable. Operating choppers in harsh weather — whether anticipated or sudden — ranks as the third-most frequent cause of helicopter mishaps in the 1990-2023 period. Pilot error or improper handling remains the leading factor, with inadequate maintenance close behind. Other recurring causes include non-adherence to flight rules by crew, technical faults, and entangled with cables (where a helicopter gets entangled in wires/cables used by locals in mountainous regions to transport goods). The chart shows the reasons behind accidents in the period. Moreover, the majority of commercial-helicopter accidents occurred in broad daylight, with most such crashes taking place while the copters were cruising. The chart shows the time of occurrence of fatal commercial helicopter accidents A significant share of accidents also happened during the landing phase, whereas take-off or climb proved to be the safest portions of the journey, registering the fewest accidents in the period, as depicted in the chart below. While it is true that, when analysed over time, the overall number of helicopter-related accidents in India has declined, the recent spate of crashes in Uttarakhand is a grim reminder that such tragedies continue to occur, cutting short lives. It should also be noted that in the recent safety audit by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, India had improved its 'effective implementation' score to over 85% from the previously low score of 70%. Compiled by B Renuka Ramakrishna, Safa Salsabeel Z, Niranjana VB, and Manaswini Vijayakumar who are interning with The Hindu Data Team Source: The data were sourced from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau sambavi.p@ vignesh.r@
Time of India
10 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
In email to flyers, Air India CEO lists safety inspections & steps
Mumbai: A week after the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft accident that left 275 people dead, Air India embarked on a confidence-building drive by emailing its passengers and frequent flyers a letter from the airline CEO listing the safety inspections and other measures it has taken. The letter comes in the wake of reduced demand for Air India flight tickets on medium and long haul sectors, as indicated by the drop in the airline's airfares. The airline announced a temporary 15% reduction in its international wide-body flights starting June 20 through to at least mid-July. "This will also allow us to have more backup aircraft ready to handle any unexpected issues," the airline said. "If your flight is impacted, we will contact you to offer rebooking on another flight at no extra cost, or a full refund," it said, adding that the updated international schedule will be shared in a few days. The airline cited "enhanced safety inspections mandated after the tragic crash" as the reason for the reduction in its flight operations to destinations in the US and Europe, among others. Of the 33 B787 aircraft in its fleet, safety inspections have been completed for 26 and these were cleared for service, it said. "Following the review, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that our Boeing 787 fleet and maintenance processes fully meet safety standards," the letter said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Memperdagangkan CFD Emas dengan salah satu spread terendah? IC Markets Mendaftar Undo "As a confidence-building measure, we elected to continue enhanced pre-flight safety checks on our Boeing 787 fleet and, as an added measure, our Boeing 777 aircraft, for the time being," it added. The airline added the aircraft which crashed in Ahmedabad on June 12 was piloted by a commander with more than 10,000 hours of flying experience on wide-body aircraft and a first officer with 3,400 hours, the letter said. "The plane was well-maintained, with its last major check in June 2023 and the next scheduled for December 2025. Its right engine was overhauled in March 2025, and the left engine was inspected in April 2025. Both the aircraft and engines were regularly monitored, showing no issues before the flight," it added.
Sky News AU
12 hours ago
- Sky News AU
'Very serious': Air India warned by country's aviation regulator for breaching safety rules days before mass casualty disaster
Air India was warned for breaching safety rules by the country's aviation regulator before it made global headlines following a mass casualty disaster. Flight AI171 crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad en route to London's Gatwick Airport last Thursday. According to government documents, planes flew despite being overdue checks on emergency equipment and for being slow to address the issue. While the warning notices, as well as an investigation report, were not in any way related to last week's crash of an Air India Boeing 787-8 plane that killed everyone onboard except one man, they were sent days before the catastrophic incident. In the report, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said spot checks in May on three Air India Airbus planes found that they were operated despite mandatory inspections being overdue on the "critical emergency equipment" of escape slides. In one case, the watchdog found the inspection of an Airbus A320 jet was delayed by more than a month before being carried out on May 15. AirNav Radar data shows that during the delay the plane flew to international destinations such as Dubai, Riyadh and Jeddah. Another case, involving an Airbus A319 used on domestic routes, showed checks were over three months late, while a third showed an inspection was two days late. "The above cases indicate that aircraft were operated with expired or unverified emergency equipment, which is a violation of standard airworthiness and safety requirements," the DGCA report said. Air India "failed to submit timely compliance responses" to deficiencies raised by the DGCA, "further evidencing weak procedural control and oversight," it added. Checks on escape slides are "a very serious issue and "in case of accident, if they don't open, it can lead to serious injuries," said Vibhuti Singh, a former legal expert at the government's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. The DGCA said in its report the certificates of airworthiness for aircraft that miss mandatory checks were "deemed suspended". An Indian aviation lawyer said such breaches typically attract monetary and civil penalties on both individual executives and the airline. The sole survivor of the Air India crash, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, 40, has since attended his brother's funeral in the western Indian coastal town of Diu on Wednesday. Ramesh, grief-stricken, had just left hospital and had bandages on his face from the cuts and bruises sustained from the crash which killed 241 people on board, including dozens on land. Funerals have taken place in Ahmedabad for the victims of the crash, with scores of heartbroken relatives farewelling family members and friends who tragically perished. -with Reuters
Time of India
14 hours ago
- General
- Time of India
AI 171 crash: Survey of Ahmedabad airport surrounding areas to be conducted, says district collector
Ahmedabad: A survey of the surrounding areas of the Ahmedabad airport will be conducted in the wake of last week's Air India Flight 171 crash that claimed 270 lives, a top district official said on Thursday. The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 persons on board crashed into a medical hostel complex in the Meghaninagar area moments after it took off from the city airport in the afternoon of June 12. The ghastly air crash and subsequent fire killed 241 of the passengers and crew members, and others on the ground. "As per the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s guidelines, a survey of areas surrounding the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport here will be conducted by the officials of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Civil Aviation department," Ahmedabad district collector Sujeet Kumar told reporters. "Once the survey gets over, subsequent necessary work will be initiated," he said. The civil aviation ministry has released a draft of the Aircraft (Demolition of Obstructions) Rules, 2025, to tighten controls on structures that pose a threat to aircraft safety near airports. In the last week's tragedy, the aircraft departed from the Ahmedabad airport at 1.39pm and its pilot issued a 'Mayday' distress call, denoting a full emergency, soon after take-off to the Air Traffic Control at Ahmedabad. Moments later, the plane smashed into the BJ Medical College campus located outside the airport compound. All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the ill-fated plane, and others on the ground were killed. PTI
