Flight disruptions across India continue to frustrate passengers. After several disruptions reported over the weekend, the trend continues on Tuesday. As of June 17, about seven flights have either been cancelled or have returned on ground following technical snags and, in some cases, bomb threats. The ongoing crisis comes after last week’s deadly crash of Air India flight AI171, a Dreamliner bound for London, which killed 241 people on board. According to several reports, the disruptions are linked to intensified safety checks following the AI171 crash.
International and domestic flights see cancellations
Ahmedabad–London AI 159: Among the latest affected was AI159, a new Ahmedabad–London service introduced to replace the retired AI171 flight number, which was cancelled earlier in the day. According to reports, the Ahmedabad-London flight was cancelled due to aircraft unavailability, caused by airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks.
San Francisco–Mumbai AI180: The flight was held up in Kolkata. It encountered a technical issue with one of its engines, which required passengers to deplane during a scheduled stop at the airport early on Tuesday. Flight AI180 arrived on time at 12:45 AM but experienced a delay in takeoff due to a malfunction in the left engine. At approximately 5:20 AM, an announcement was made instructing all passengers to deplane.
AI 170 London to Amritsar and AI 143 Delhi to Paris: After the Ahmedabad to London Air India flight, the airline cancelled the two more flights on Tuesday. AI 170, scheduled to operate from London Gatwick to Amritsar and AI 143 from Delhi to Paris, stand cancelled.
More flights disruptions follow
An IndiGo flight (6E2706) en route from Kochi to Delhi was forced to make an emergency landing in Nagpur after receiving a bomb threat via email. The aircraft, which had arrived from Muscat and departed Kochi at 9.31 am with 157 passengers and six crew members, was diverted mid-air. All passengers were safely deboarded and a comprehensive security check was initiated. Authorities classified the threat as “specific” and a detailed probe is ongoing.
This is the latest in a series of recent aviation alerts, including a bomb threat on a Lufthansa flight to Hyderabad, which returned to Frankfurt and a technical snag on Hong Kong-Delhi flights.
Earlier on Monday, IndiGo flight 6E 6811 from North Goa to Lucknow encountered turbulence due to active monsoon conditions. The airline confirmed the flight landed safely and that the crew managed the situation as per protocol.