Days after fatal plane crash, Air India flight AI159 from Ahmedabad to London cancelled due to...

Days after the fatal Ahmedabad plane crash, Air India flight AI 159, scheduled to depart for London from Ahmedabad, was cancelled on Tuesday due to a technical problem. As per details, Air India flight had arrived from New Delhi to Ahmedabad and was scheduled to take off to London. This was the second Ahmedabad to London Air India flight to have encountered a technical glitch, after another one crashed near the Ahmedabad airport on June 12, killing 241 of 242 onboard.

The flight AI 159 was origibally scheduled to depart at 1.10 pm but was rescheduled to 3 pm while at 1.45 pm Air India confirmed that the flight had been cancelled.

“Flight AI159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick has been cancelled today due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed,” spokesperson of Air India said.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Consequently, flight AI170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar of 17 June stands cancelled,” the official added.

This is the second Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London in less than a week to experience a technical problem. On Monday, another flight was canceled due to operational delays that led to the crew's duty hours expiring.

Meanwhile, earlier in the day, a San Francisco to Mumbai flight had a problem with one of its engines, which resulted in a layover in Kolkata, where passengers were asked to disembark.