Varun Grover feels Air India has fixed its ‘chalta hai’ attitude after Ahmedabad crash: ‘Someone put their foot down'

Varun Grover took to social media to express his views while reposting the news about an Air India flight from Delhi to Paris getting cancelled.

Screenwriter-director Varun Grover is relieved that passenger safety is being prioritised after the Ahmedabad plane crash. Reacting to the news of the Air India flight from Delhi to Paris getting cancelled due to issues detected during pre-flight checks, he said it seems they were earlier flying with ‘chalta hai’ attitude but are not taking risks anymore.

Varun Grover is now hoping that the airline will also improve their baseline safety and maintenance.

Varun Grover reacts

Varun took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his views, which he shared while reposting the news about an Air India flight from Delhi to Paris getting cancelled due to some issues which were identified during pre-flight checks.

“Looks like earlier they were flying with minimal checks, ‘chalta hai’ (it's okay) attitude but are not taking risks anymore. So the same flight with same number of tech issues would have been airborne a few weeks ago but someone has put their foot down finally,” Varun wrote.

Varun, who is known for writing films like Masaan, Superboys of Malegaon and most recently Homebound, is now hoping that the airline will also improve their baseline safety and maintenance.

“Hope they improve their baseline safety and maintenance and if that means cancelling most flights for the next few months, totally a financial risk worth taking,” he added.

After the news of the crash, Varun had tweeted, “A horrible day for us Indians. 240 plus lives - every one a complete universe of dreams, aspirations, possibilities - just disappear due to a system that won’t take responsibility nor allow anyone to ask questions”.

“In just last few months innocent citizens have died in stampedes, falling from trains, lynched on fake charges, crushed in road rage or drunk driving, and now in a crash possibly aided by systemic greed. But we must remain silent and accept everything as our fate, if not our own fault,” he added.

Air India flight from Delhi to Paris cancelled

On Tuesday, flight AI 143 from Delhi to Paris was cancelled after the pre-flight checks revealed certain issues in the aircraft.

“Flight AI143 from Delhi to Paris of 17 June has been cancelled. The mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed. However, in view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, the said flight has been cancelled...We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Consequently, flight AI142 from Paris to Delhi on June 17, 2025 also stands cancelled,” an Air India spokesperson was quoted as saying by ANI.

The Delhi to Paris flight is the second Air India flight to be cancelled on Tuesday. Earlier, an Ahmedabad-London Gatwick flight (AI 159) was cancelled due to unavailability of Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft. An Air India flight from San Francisco-Mumbai also suffered a technical snag and the passengers were forced to deplane during the scheduled stop at Kolkata's Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport in Kolkata.

Aftermath of the Ahmedabad plane crash

After the Ahmedabad plane crash, a series of Air India flights have either been diverted or cancelled. On Monday, at least three 787 Dreamliners, operated by British Airways, Lufthansa, and Air India, were forced to return to their origin airports after takeoff.

A London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft crashed into a hostel complex shortly after takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad on June 12, killing 241 passengers and crew.