Image Source: thelogicalindian.com
An Air India flight from Milan to Delhi was called off on Saturday after a technical problem was discovered just as the aircraft was preparing to take off.
In addition to the technical fault, the operating crew of AI138 had already reached their mandatory flight duty limit, which made it unsafe and not permissible for them to continue the journey.
A spokesperson for the airline explained: "Flight AI138 operating from Milan to Delhi on 16 August was cancelled due to a maintenance task identified during pushback, and subsequently due to the crew coming under the mandatory flight duty time limitation norms."
The airline said the snag was identified during pushback, right before departure on August 16.
“Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen cancellation. Our ground team in Milan extended immediate assistance to all affected passengers, providing hotel accommodation and offering full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling as opted by the passengers,” the spokesperson added.
Air India also assured passengers that alternative travel arrangements were being made. The airline emphasized: “At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain top priority.”
The cancellation in Milan came a day before another disruption in Kochi, where a Delhi-bound flight aborted take-off on Sunday due to a technical fault. The departure was rescheduled to 1 a.m. on Monday, and Air India informed the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) that the aircraft was being changed.
Congress MP Hibi Eden, who was on board that flight, later wrote on social media that it felt as if AI504 “flight skid on the runway.”
Earlier, two more Air India services—AI349 from Singapore to Chennai and AI500 from Bhubaneswar to Delhi—had also been cancelled because of technical problems.
According to the airline, the Singapore-Chennai service was halted because of a “maintenance task identified prior to departure, which required additional time for rectification.” The Bhubaneswar-Delhi flight was grounded because of “an issue causing high cabin temperature on the ground prior to take-off.”
