Snag in Air India plane delays many flights

A technical glitch on an Air India aircraft on Thursday not only delayed its passengers by four-and-a-half hours but also delayed many other flights after it was grounded at the tarmac.

The Air India Mumbai-Delhi-Beijing flight (AI 348) developed a technical snag soon after landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 10.30 am on Thursday. Sources at the airport said the plane got stuck just after clearing the taxiway, which made it difficult for many other aircraft to manoeuvre and reach the runway.

“The plane got stuck on the tarmac and could not move. As a result, many other flights got delayed,” an airport source said. “The plane had to be towed away to the parking bay and only then other planes could move,” he said. “The plane could not turn properly as its wheels had jammed and could not have reached the parking bay or aerobridge on its momentum, so it had to be towed,” he said.

Though Air India admitted the plane, a twin aisle, wide body Airbus A-310, had developed a snag, it said that it did not obstruct the path of other aircraft as it had already cleared the taxiway and was near the bay.

“The brake assembly of the aircraft had a problem, so one of the wheels had to be changed. Though its scheduled departure time to Beijing is 11.30 am, it finally took off at 3.55 pm,” he said.