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Air India says Delhi rain, crew duty limits led to Mumbai–Lucknow flight cancellation
Delayed diverted flights caused the crew to exceed duty time limits, and Air India couldn’t arrange a replacement crew immediately, the airline said.
Air India has said that flight AI2491 from Mumbai to Lucknow, scheduled for June 17, was cancelled due to delays caused by heavy rains in Delhi.
The airline said that the delayed arrival of diverted flights caused the operating crew to exceed regulatory duty time limits, and a replacement crew could not be arranged immediately.
“AI2491 from Mumbai to Lucknow on 17 June 2025 was cancelled due to operational reasons and the cascading impact of flights which got diverted during the heavy rains in Delhi. Delayed arrival of diverted flights led to the operating crew coming under regulatory flight duty time limitations norms. Replacement crew could not be immediately arranged due to the weather-related delays and disruptions,” Air India spokesperson said in a statement.
The spokesperson added that Air India regrets the inconvenience caused and has offered hotel stays, full refunds or free rescheduling, and is working to fly affected passengers to Lucknow as soon as possible.
“Inconvenience caused to passengers is sincerely regretted, and every effort has been made to minimise it by providing hotel accommodation to the affected passengers. Full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling was also offered to them if opted. Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination Lucknow at the earliest,” the statement added.
Air India cancels six international flights
Air India cancelled six international flights on Tuesday, all operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, amid heightened scrutiny of the aircraft model following last week’s deadly crash in Ahmedabad.
Separately, a Dreamliner operating as AI 315 to Delhi experienced a technical issue and was forced to return to Hong Kong. Earlier in the day, a San Francisco–Mumbai flight faced a technical snag during a scheduled stopover in Kolkata, leading the airline to deboard all passengers as a precaution.
Air India cited airspace restrictions and the need for additional precautionary checks as the reason for cancelling Tuesday’s Ahmedabad–London Gatwick flight, pointing to a lack of available aircraft.
