A London-bound Air India flight from Delhi returned to the bay on Thursday, July 31, due to a suspected technical fault.
The flight, with callsign AI2017, was preparing for take-off when the cockpit crew stopped the departure and brought the aircraft back for checks. The airline said all procedures were followed.
“An alternative aircraft is being deployed to fly the passengers to London at the earliest,” the airline said.
Air India also said in its statement that its staff is helping those affected by the delay.
“Our ground staff is extending all support and care to the guests to minimise inconvenience caused due to this unexpected delay. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers remain the top priority,” it added.
Also Read: Faulty simulators, training gaps among 100 violations by Air India: Audit
DGCA taken action against Air India
The aviation regulator DGCA recently took action against Air India after it found that an emergency slide inspection on one of its aircraft was overdue, minister Murlidhar Mohol said.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation said the DGCA discovered the issue during an audit of the airline.
{{/usCountry}}In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister of State for Civil Aviation said the DGCA discovered the issue during an audit of the airline.
{{/usCountry}}He told the Rajya Sabha, “DGCA immediately grounded the aircraft till the required rectification was carried out. DGCA has initiated enforcement action against Air India and the responsible personnel as per Enforcement Policy and Procedure Manual of DGCA.”
The exact dates of the audit and when the enforcement action began were not shared. Lately, Air India has been under scrutiny from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over several lapses.
On June 12, Air India's Boeing 787 8 operating flight AI 171 to London Gatwick crashed into a building shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.