An Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata aborted take-off on Monday evening after a technical snag was detected just in time. The aircraft, flight AI2403, was accelerating down the runway at 155 km per hour when the pilots decided to abort the take-off and applied brakes to bring the plane to a halt.
The incident occurred around 5:30 pm, just before the aircraft was scheduled to depart. According to a statement from the airline, the decision was made by the cockpit crew in line with standard operating procedures. “Flight AI2403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening,” said the statement. “The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off following Standard Operating Procedures.”
All passengers safe; assistance offered at Delhi Airport
All passengers on board were safely deplaned, and Air India staff at the airport extended assistance. The airline apologised for the inconvenience caused to the passengers and said passenger safety and wellbeing remain their top priority.
This was the second incident involving an Air India aircraft reported on the same day. Earlier in Mumbai, a flight arriving from Kochi veered off the rain-soaked runway during landing. Although all passengers were reported safe, visible signs of damage were observed on the aircraft’s engine, and grass was found stuck to the rear part of the plane. The runway also sustained damage.
Government sources said one of the wheels veered into a grassy area beside the runway, leading to damage of three signage boards and four runway edge lights. The aircraft has since been grounded for checks, and both pilots have been derostered pending investigation.
Nine safety notices issued to Air India in six months
In the Rajya Sabha yesterday Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol informed that nine show-cause notices were issued to Air India over five safety violations in the past six months. While no recent crash-related reliability issues were found, one enforcement action has already been completed.
Last month, a tragic Air India crash from Ahmedabad to London killed 260 people, prompting greater scrutiny into aircraft operations.