An Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai was halted at Kolkata airport after a technical glitch in its left engine. The aircraft landed safely, but passengers were deboarded hours later as a precaution.

Kolkata: An Air India flight travelling from San Francisco to Mumbai was halted at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata after a technical issue was detected in the aircraft’s left engine shortly after landing.

Flight lands on time but develops engine snag

Air India flight AI180 landed on schedule at 12:45 am in Kolkata. However, a technical malfunction in the left engine was discovered during post-landing checks, delaying the aircraft's onwards journey to Mumbai.

Passengers asked to deboard after several hours 

Around 5:20 am, passengers were instructed via an onboard announcement to deplane. The aircraft’s captain informed travellers that the move was made in the interest of safety due to the engine snag.

Recent Air India crash adds to concerns 

This incident comes just five days after a tragic crash involving another Air India flight, AI-171, which was heading to London’s Gatwick Airport from Ahmedabad. The aircraft crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel building shortly after takeoff, claiming 241 lives. Only one passenger, a British national named Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, survived the crash.