Troubles at Air India continue: Seven intl flights cancelled; DGCA raises concern over maintenance

Mumbai/Kolkata, Jun 17 (PTI) Troubles mounted for Air India as the beleaguered airline cancelled seven more international flights on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cancellations to 83 since the devastating Ahmedabad crash, which has led to the aviation safety watchdog raising concerns about its maintenance practices.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatchers of the June 12 flight AI171 from Ahmedabad to London that crashed seconds after take off. The death of over 270 onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and on the ground spawned the biggest crisis for the airline since the Tata Group bought it three-and-a-half years ago.

While Air India cancelled the six flights due to DGCA's checks, a San Francisco-Kolkata-Mumbai flight had to be terminated at Kolkata because of a problem in the engine of the Boeing 777-200 jetliner. Its Ahmedabad-London Gatwick one was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline said.

The disruptions came as investigators probed what caused a London-bound Air India flight to crash in Ahmedabad shortly after take-off on June 12. The incident dealt a severe blow to the airline and its owner Tata, which prides itself on producing luxury cars to salt and software as well as assembly of iPhones.

Civil aviation regulator DGCA in a statement said it met senior officials of Air India and Air India Express, which operates over 1,000 domestic and international flights daily, to review "operational robustness" and "ensure continued compliance with safety and passenger service regulations." "DGCA raised concerns regarding recent maintenance-related issues reported by Air India," the statement said, adding the regulator has advised the airline to strengthen internal coordination across engineering, operations, ground handling units and ensure availiablity of adequate spares to mitigate passenger delays.

It however said that recent surveillance on Air India's Boeing 787 fleet "did not reveal any major safety concerns".

"The aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be in compliance with existing safety standards," DGCA said.

An enhanced safety inspection of B787-8/9 fleet comprising a total of 33 aircraft is undergoing major checks at various MRO facilities.

The DGCA said that a total of 24 aircraft successfully completed the required check till 3PM of June 17. An additional two aircraft are planned for completion today, with one more scheduled for Wednesday, it said and added that the remaining six aircraft include two aircraft (VT-ANG and VT-ANT), which are presently grounded at Delhi.

The regulator recommended implementation of a more systematic and real-time defect reporting mechanism to ensure operational and safety-critical departments receive timely updates.

Giving details of flights Air India cancelled since June 12, DGCA said a total of 83 flights had been cancelled in six days. These included 66 B787 flights.

Air India cancelled its Delhi-Paris flight after some problems were detected during pre-flight checks. The other flights cancelled during the day included Bengaluru-London, London-Amritsar, Delhi-Vienna, Delhi-Dubai and Mumai-San Francisco.

The airline also terminated its San Francisco-Mumbai flight at its scheduled stopover at Kolkata early on Tuesday morning after one of its engines developed a technical snag.

In a statement earlier in the day, Air India said flight AI143 from Delhi to Paris has been cancelled after "mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed".

It did not detail the issue that came to light during pre-flight checks.

"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," Air India said.

The airline said it is providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers.

Air India also said it is making alternative arrangements to fly passengers to their destination at the earliest.

The airline, which on Monday resumed flights from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick with a new code AI159 instead of AI171 of the flight that crashed on June 12, had to cancel the flight on Tuesday due to unavailability of aircraft.

It denied claims that a technical snag led to the cancellation and maintained that it has made alternative arrangements for the affected passengers to their destination and offered full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by them.

Air India's official website confirmed that the AI-159 flight from Ahmedabad to the Gatwick airport in London stands cancelled after being rescheduled. The plane was scheduled to depart at 3 pm from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA).

Airport sources said the flight having code AI-171 was suspended after the horrific crash which claimed 270 lives, including 29 people on the ground.

It resumed operation on Monday (June 16), five days after the crash, with a new flight code AI-159, said an airport official.

Separately, an Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata suffered a technical snag early Tuesday, requiring passengers to deboard during a scheduled halt at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport.

The termination led to chaotic scenes at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport as the 211 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 LR tried to convince officials to let them reach their destination at the earliest.

The Tata Group-owned carrier did not issue an official statement.

Sources said Air India is making "special arrangements" to fly the stranded passengers to Mumbai. No further details were available.

Usually, the carrier flies directly to Mumbai from San Francisco but the ongoing geopolitical events, including the closure of Pakistani airspace, have led AI to reroute it and take a "technical halt" in Kolkata.

Iran has also closed its airspace due to its ongoing war with Israel, affecting flights headed to Europe. PTI IAS/AA ANZ MR MR