A London-bound Air India flight aborted takeoff on Thursday after facing ‘technical issues’ on the runway. The Boeing 787-9 aircraft was returned to bay with alternate travel arrangements being made for the passengers. The incident is the latest in a series of flight-related mishaps that have made headlines in recent weeks — following the devastating Air India plane crash.
“Flight AI2017, operating from Delhi to London on July 31, returned to the bay due to a suspected technical issue. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the takeoff run following standard operating procedures and brought the aircraft back for precautionary checks,” an airline spokesperson told PTI.
The airline later confirmed that efforts are underway to dispatch another aircraft to ensure that the affected passengers reach their destination with minimum further delay. Ground staff was also mobilised to provide assistance and support to those impacted.
Similar incident with Delhi-Kolkata AI flight last week
Indian airlines have repeatedly made headlines in recent weeks over abrupt cancellations, technical issues, and other mishaps. Last week an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata had also aborted takeoff after detecting a technical snag at the last minute. 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.
“Flight AI2403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off following Standard Operating Procedures,” the airline had said in an official statement.
Eight air accidents killed 274 people this year: Govt
The government on Thursday said there have been eight air accidents that killed 274 people in the country so far this year.Apart from the Air India plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people, there were three trainee aircraft accidents and four helicopter accidents.Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol told the Lok Sabha that the cause of these accidents is under probe by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau.