Air India flight grounded in Kolkata after technical issue suspected

KOLKATA: An Air India flight operating from San Francisco to Mumbai, with a scheduled stop in Kolkata, was grounded early Tuesday after a technical issue was suspected during a routine post-landing inspection. According to sources, all passengers were safely deplaned as a precautionary measure.

On Monday, Air India’s flight AI2493 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was cancelled after facing delays caused by operational issues, eventually leading to the expiry of the crew’s duty time, according to sources.

The flight, which was supposed to be operated by an Airbus A321-211 aircraft (VT-PPL), was first delayed due to an unspecified operational issue.

During this delay, the assigned crew reached the limit of their Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), a rule that restricts the number of hours airline crew members can work for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi was diverted back to the national capital shortly after taking off on Monday due to a suspected technical issue. The Boeing 737 Max 8 plane was scheduled to land at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 6:20 PM.

After the inspection and clearance, the aircraft continued its normal operations, according to an Air India spokesperson.”One of our flights returned to Delhi after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue. Post inspections and clearance, the aircraft continued scheduled operations. We regret the inconvenience,” the Air India Express spokesperson said.

Earlier on Monday, an Air India flight, which was supposed to land in Delhi, was diverted back to Hong Kong after the pilot suspected a technical issue mid-air, according to sources. The AI 315 flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had departed from Hong Kong to Delhi. According to the flight tracking site, Flight Radar 24, the Air India flight was supposed to reach Delhi by 12.20 PM. Sources said that the passengers deboarded safely and the plane is undergoing a safety check. (ANI)