Air India's Ahmedabad-London flight cancelled due to 'operational issues' days after fatal crash

Air India's Ahmedabad-London flight was cancelled amid safety concerns just days after a fatal crash on the same route killed over 270 people, prompting multiple probes and grounding-related chaos.

Wreckage of ill-fated London-bound Air India flight

Image Credit: ANI

Air India’s flight to London, scheduled to depart from Ahmedabad on Tuesday afternoon, was cancelled due to “operational issues”, an airport official said. The cancellation came just days after a tragic crash involving the same route killed over 270 people on June 12.

According to the airline’s official website, flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport stands cancelled. The aircraft was scheduled to depart at 3 PM from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

“We have been informed that the flight has been cancelled due to operational issues. The original flight from Ahmedabad to London, having code AI-171, resumed operation from Monday with a new flight code AI-159,” the airport official said.

The official did not provide further details about the operational issues behind the cancellation.

The earlier crash involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner (Flight AI171), which crashed shortly after takeoff, claiming the lives of 241 passengers and crew and 29 people on the ground. The aircraft reportedly crashed into buildings on the BJ Medical College campus, bursting into flames seconds after liftoff. One passenger miraculously survived.

So far, 119 of the 270 victims have been identified through DNA profiling. Authorities say remains of 76 victims, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, have been handed over to families.

San Francisco-Mumbai Flight Diverted After Engine Snag

Earlier today, another Air India flight—AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai—was halted at its scheduled stopover in Kolkata due to a technical snag in one of its engines. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200 LR, landed in Kolkata around 12.45 am, even though it had departed San Francisco an hour late.

Sources said a technical issue was discovered during routine checks after landing, and the airline chose to conduct a thorough inspection. The flight was scheduled to depart for Mumbai at 2 am. However, passengers were informed of a left engine issue only at 2.40 am.

A PTI reporter on board said the crew initially claimed the issue would be resolved in 25 minutes. As delays mounted, anxious passengers began questioning the crew. With the memory of the Ahmedabad crash still fresh, many opted to wait rather than risk a mishap.

At 4.20 am, another announcement was made seeking an additional 15–20 minutes. Despite engineers working through light rain, the issue remained unresolved. Around 5.20 am, passengers were asked to deplane.

While some passengers managed to secure alternate travel to Mumbai, the majority were offered hotel accommodations and food arrangements by the airline.

Chandrasekaran: "Use This Incident to Build a Safer Airline"

In response to last week's disaster, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman N Chandrasekaran addressed over 700 employees and senior leaders at the airline’s Gurugram headquarters on Monday.

"We need to show resilience. We need to use this incident as an act of force to build a safer airline," Chandrasekaran said.

"So we have to make sure that we stay the course. Be more determined in everything we do. We need to wait for the investigation to find out (the cause)," he added.

"I've seen a reasonable number of crises in my career, but this is the most heartbreaking one which I never thought I would see," Chandrasekaran said, according to sources.

Meanwhile, a government-appointed high-level committee chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan held its first meeting in Delhi on Monday to investigate the root cause of the Ahmedabad crash. The panel is considering mechanical failure, human error, and regulatory compliance as potential factors.

A separate technical investigation by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is underway. Officials confirmed the aircraft’s black box—including the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder—has been recovered.

Given that the aircraft was a US-made Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the United States' National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a parallel probe. Several foreign experts have been examining the crash site, as per international aviation protocols.

The NTSB is tasked with determining the probable causes of aviation accidents and issuing recommendations to prevent future tragedies.

Series of Incidents Involving Boeing 787 Dreamliners

The Ahmedabad crash has triggered heightened scrutiny of the Boeing 787 series. In the past 36 hours, three Dreamliners—operated by Air India, British Airways, and Lufthansa—were forced to return to origin airports due to technical snags or threats.

• Air India’s Delhi-bound Dreamliner from Hong Kong returned due to a technical issue.
• A British Airways Dreamliner en route to Chennai returned to London with a similar problem.
• A Lufthansa Dreamliner headed for Hyderabad was forced to return to Frankfurt following a bomb threat.