Up to 15 A-I flights may be cancelled

MUMBAI: With the grounding of a Boeing 747-400 that suffered three tyre bursts in two months, Air-India has cancelled one flight a week on the Delhi-Frankfurt and Delhi-Los Angeles routes, spokesperson S Venkat said.

That implies cancellation of four flights a month. But 15 more may be cancelled or rescheduled with the DGCA directing Air-India to subject its fleet to unscheduled checks every 1,000 flying hours.  

The directive came after the Boeing 747-400 (VT-AIM) had to make emergency landings on three occasions. After the third incident on March 31, the aircraft was grounded.

Air-India appointed a committee comprising DGCA officials, Air-India engineers, Boeing technicians, and representatives of the tyre manufacturers to thoroughly check the plane. The exercise is likely to continue for a month.

Jitendra Bhargava, another Air-India spokesperson, said, "The final report will be submitted to the chairman." "We sent them a comprehensive report on improving their maintenance," a senior DGCA official told DNA.

The DGCA has suggested using nitrogen and oil for the landing gear for better shock absorption. "There has been a list of such inputs," the official said.