Air India flight grounded

 New Delhi, June 17, 2025: 

Air India flight AI180, which was traveling from San Francisco to Mumbai, had to make an unplanned stop at Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport early on Tuesday due to a technical issue with its left engine. 

At 00:45 local time, the Boeing 777-200LR landed in Kolkata. The subsequent flight to Mumbai is scheduled to depart at 2:00. Around 05:20, however, the captain advised the passengers to disembark as a precaution, saying, "The decision was being made in the interest of flight safety." While travelers waited in the terminal, ground staff and maintenance teams promptly carried out a comprehensive examination of the impacted engine. During the incident, no injuries were reported.

Although specific rescheduling details are still pending, the airline has stated that those affected will be accommodated on alternate flights to Mumbai. Aviation authorities have ordered thorough examinations of Air India's fleet in response to the incident, pointing to a recent trend of operational and technical issues. This comes after a tumultuous week for Air India. A mid-air technical issue forced an unscheduled return of a Hong Kong to New Delhi flight on Monday. 

One of the worst aviation catastrophes in Indian aviation history occurred over the weekend when an Air India Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad, killing at least 270 people "Given recent events, even minor glitches are scrutinised heavily," said aviation analyst Rakesh Mehta. Airline safety is the prime concern.

"We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our guests," the CEO of Air India said in a statement. Our top priority is still keeping them safe. We are doing everything we can to make sure that everyone impacted has a quick and comfortable journey forward. 

Passengers commended the ship's professional and composed handling of the situation. One passenger remarked, "Everything went really well; the crew kept us safe and informed." According to industry experts, this incident and other recent accidents could hasten Air India's adoption of more stringent maintenance procedures and upgrade schedules for its aging fleet of Boeing 777 aircraft. 

In the meantime, safety recommendations are anticipated to be released in the next few days by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Customers of Air India who are impacted by the delay can get updates by calling the airline's helpline or their travel agents.