Latest news with #India-bound
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Address collateral damage to reputations by putting safety first
The crash has also triggered what may be the costliest claim in India's aviation industry. The aircraft hull and engine value is put at $125 million, while the liability for loss of life of passengers and others on ground could notch up to another $350 million. It has also been a huge setback for Air India, which the Tata Group acquired in October 2021. The company has been on a massive upgrade in recent months, including an order for 500 new planes, rebranding of the name and livery, and refitting of 67 older planes. Much of the hard work may now be under a cloud. Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran acknowledged as much when he said at a recent review that the fatal crash has been the most heartbreaking crisis of his career, and that it should lead to the building of a safer airline. Running an airline is a complex proposition, but the pillar everything rests on is its safety record. Even in the aftermath of the June 12 crash, three other India-bound Boeing Dreamliners operated by Air India and two other airlines were forced to return on safety considerations. Rigorous pre-flight checks have been introduced and at least five Air India flights including a Delhi-Paris Dreamliner flight were cancelled on Tuesday. Even though disruptive in the near term, that is the way to go. Air India also needs to look closely at the doubts raised about its Dreamliner fleet. Perhaps the best way to honour those who perished is to ensure such a disaster does not happen again.
NDTV
4 days ago
- General
- NDTV
Air India Ahmedabad-London Flight Cancelled Days After Deadly Crash
New Delhi: Air India on Tuesday afternoon cancelled its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight citing "operational issues". No further explanation was offered, some passengers complained. Sources at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhai Patel Airport said passengers will be re-routed. This comes days after the horrific crash of Air India's AI-171 - a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flying the same sector, i.e., from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, crashed seconds after take-off. Videos showed the Air India plane slamming into buildings bordering the airport, including a college hostel, and exploding into a terrifying fireball that killed 241 of the 242 people on board. At least 33 people on the ground were also killed. Flight and voice data recorders from the crashed plane have been recovered and the information is being analysed, the government has said. A high-level committee has been set up to oversee the inquiry and also suggest measures to prevent such terrifying accidents. In the aftermath of the June 12 AI-171 crash three other India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners - operated by British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air India - were forced to return to origin airports. One of those was a Hong Kong-Delhi AI flight that returned 15 minutes after taking off; Air India said AI-315 turned around because of a "technical issue" but gave no further details
Mint
5 days ago
- General
- Mint
3 India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners returned to their origin within 36 hours
After a recent Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad, three India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners returned to their origin. Air India's Hong Kong- Delhi flight, British Airways London-Chennai flight , and Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight were forced toreturn to their origin after takeoff. Last week, an Air India flight to London, using the Boeing 787-8 aircraft, crashed in Ahmedabad moments after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people on board. Air India's Hong Kong- Delhi flight An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong shortly around 15 minutes after takeoff on Monday as a precautionary measure following a suspected technical issue. In a statement, Air India said on Monday that flight AI315 returned to Hong Kong because of what it described as "a technical issue" without giving details. The flight landed safely and was undergoing checks "as a matter of abundant precaution", it added. According to Reuters citing recordings posted on air traffic control monitoring website one of the pilots in the plane told air traffic controllers around 15 minutes after takeoff that 'for technical reasons, sir, we would like to stay closer to Hong Kong, maybe we will come back and land back into Hong Kong once we sort out the problem.' Lufthansa's Frankfurt-Hyderabad flight A Lufthansa flight to Hyderabad was forced to make a U-turn and returned to land at Frankfurt Airport due to a bomb threat, the airline said on Monday. Flight LH752 departed from Germany around 14.14 local time Sunday and was scheduled to land at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in the early hours of Monday but flight tracker data showed a diversion a few hours into the flight. Lufthansa said the passengers had been provided overnight accommodation in Frankfurt and are scheduled to resume their journey to Hyderabad on Monday morning. 'Out of an abundance of caution, Lufthansa flight LH752 from Frankfurt to Hyderabad returned to its point of departure after authorities were made aware of a bomb threat posted on social media,' Lufthansa said in a statement. 'The safety of our passengers and crew is Lufthansa's highest priority. Affected passengers were provided with accommodation in Frankfurt and will be continuing their journey to Hyderabad today,' the statement said. British Airways London-Chennai flight A Chennai-bound British Airways Boeing Dreamliner returned to London due to a technical snag on Sunday. The flight landed safely with crew and passengers disembarking as they normally would, British Airways said in a statement. The development comes days after an Air India Boeing Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad killing 241 passengers and crew members on board. The airline, however, did not share other details such as the departure time of the flight, the number of passengers and crew on board and for how long the aircraft remained airborne before it returned to London.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Snags, bomb threat lead to 3 India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliners returning to origin in 36 hours
Technical snags and a bomb threat resulted in three India-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft returning to origin after takeoff in the last 36 hours. The planes were bound for Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi from other countries. This comes days after an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft bound for London crashed in Ahmedabad, shortly after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 passengers on board. In the most recent case, a Delhi-bound Air India AI-315 Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Hong Kong returned to its origin airport within an hour of takeoff after the pilot suspected a technical snag. The airline said in a statement that the flight landed safely in Hong Kong and all passengers disembarked from the plane. An inspection of the aircraft is underway, it added. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner left from Hong Kong at 12:16 pm (local time) (around 9:45 am IST) and was scheduled to land in Delhi at 12:20 pm IST. However, according to Flightradar24, the flight took off from Hong Kong after a delay of around 3.5 hours. "AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025 returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination Delhi at the earliest," Air India said. The airline said that it was providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimize the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption. On Sunday, a Chennai-bound flight of British Airways returned to London's Heathrow Airport after a technical issue. The airline issued a statement on the same. It said, "The flight landed safely with crew and customers disembarking as they normally would, and our teams are working hard to get their journeys back on track as soon as possible." The Boeing 787 Dreamliner took off from London after a 36-minute delay. As per Flightradar24, the aircraft circled over the Strait of Dover several times before returning to Heathrow Airport. In another case, a Hyderabad-bound Lufthansa flight from Germany's Frankfurt airport was forced to return after it failed to get clearance for landing, following a bomb threat. The flight LH752, also a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, took off from Germany around 14:14 pm (local time) on Sunday and was scheduled to land at Hyderabad's Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in the early hours of Monday. Lufthansa issued a statement, saying, "Out of an abundance of caution, Lufthansa flight LH752 from Frankfurt to Hyderabad returned to its point of departure after authorities were made aware of a bomb threat posted on social media." 'The safety of our passengers and crew is Lufthansa's highest priority. Affected passengers were provided with accommodation in Frankfurt and will be continuing their journey to Hyderabad today,' it added. News agency PTI reported, citing airport sources in Hyderabad, and said, "A bomb threat email targeting Lufthansa flight LH 752 was received at the Hyderabad airport at 18:01 hrs on 15th June 2025." A committee for assessing the bomb threat was formed, and all due procedures were followed according to the standard operating procedure, they added. Meanwhile, a passenger aboard the Hyderabad-bound flight told PTI they were told that "Hyderabad hasn't given permission to land the flight there". 'It was a smooth flight and after about two hours in the air, we were told that we would be returning to Frankfurt,' the passenger said. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft has been in the limelight in the past few days following the plane crash of Gatwick-bound Air India AI171 on Thursday, June 12. The aircraft, carrying 230 passengers and 12 crew members, crashed into the hostel complex of BJ medical college within minutes of takeoff from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport. The tragedy claimed the lives of over 270 people, of whom 241 were aboard the Air India aircraft, and more than 20 others were those present on the ground. Only one passenger of the Boeing Dreamliner survived the plane crash.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- Business Standard
India, China discuss rare earth curbs amid auto industry concerns
By Sudhi Ranjan Sen and Alisha Sachdev Indian officials discussed China's rare earth restrictions during talks with that country's vice foreign minister this week, people familiar with the matter said, as automakers continue to warn of a looming shortage that may disrupt output in the South Asian nation. The issue was raised during a meeting on Thursday between Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and China's Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong in New Delhi, the people said, asking not to be identified because the discussions were private. The two sides agreed to hold further talks about critical mineral supplies and broader economic and trade issues, they said. China's export curbs on rare earth magnets — used in everything from smartphones to electric vehicles — are causing delays in shipments of auto parts to India, worrying carmakers about major disruptions to production. There are some signs that Indian automakers may be facing tougher conditions than their counterparts in other countries in securing the supplies from China, with Beijing rejecting some applications for India-bound shipments. In a readout of the meeting between Misri and Sun, India's Ministry of External Affairs didn't specifically refer to the discussion about rare earths, although it hinted at ongoing talks. 'The two sides agreed to hold certain functional dialog including in the economic and trade areas to discuss and resolve specific issues of concern,' the ministry said on Friday, without providing details of any future meetings. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Sun and Misri 'held a candid and in-depth exchange of views on bilateral exchanges and cooperation as well as international and regional issues of mutual interest.' Indian carmakers have been lobbying the government to push China to ease restrictions on rare earth magnets. They're also planning to visit Beijing this month to make their case to officials and suppliers there, people familiar with the matter said. A proposed delegation of about 20 members from auto and component firms is awaiting support from the Chinese embassy to secure appointments in Beijing, they said. The fact that India has now raised the rare earth issue with China in a diplomatic forum signals to automakers that a resolution may be in sight. Recent trade talks between the US and China have also increased optimism that restrictions may be eased. The two-day visit by Sun follows Misri's trip to Beijing in January, and comes as both countries take steps to rebuild ties following the end of a four-year border stalemate. President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged in October last year to stabilize relations. Global uncertainty triggered by US President Donald Trump's upheaval of trade have also added to the urgency for the Asian neighbors to normalize ties. After the deadly border clashes in 2020, India increased legal scrutiny to discourage Chinese investments, banned thousands of mobile phone applications and curbed visas. The two sides agreed during the talks this week to speed up the process to restart direct flights and take 'practical' steps to facilitate visas, the MEA said in its statement Friday. Officials 'agreed to continue to stabilize and rebuild ties with priority on people-centric engagements,' the MEA said.
