Air India San Francisco–Mumbai flight grounded in Kolkata after engine snag

Kolkata: An Air India flight operating from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata was halted at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in the early hours of Tuesday after a technical snag was detected in one of its engines.

Flight AI-180, which landed in Kolkata at approximately 12:45 a.m., was scheduled to resume its journey to Mumbai at 2 a.m. and arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport by 4:50 a.m. However, the departure was delayed due to the detection of a technical issue in one of the aircraft's engines.

At around 5:20 a.m., the captain announced that the passengers would need to disembark, citing flight safety as the priority. Following their disembarkation, the aircraft was moved to the airport tarmac, where ground and technical staff began examining the engine to identify and rectify the fault.

All passengers on board were reported to be safe. As of the latest update, flight AI-180 remains grounded in Kolkata while undergoing technical inspections. Air India is reportedly making arrangements to provide an alternative flight for the affected passengers.

This incident adds to a recent series of technical issues involving Air India flights. On June 12, a tragic accident occurred when an Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London’s Gatwick Airport crashed shortly after take-off, striking a doctors’ hostel and resulting in the deaths of all but one passenger.

Additionally, earlier this week, Air India Express flight IX 1511 encountered a technical fault before departing from Hindon Airport in Uttar Pradesh to Kolkata. The issue was detected while the pilot was preparing for take-off, causing the plane to remain on the runway for nearly an hour before finally departing.

Tuesday’s incident involving AI-180 marks yet another technical setback for the airline within a short span, raising fresh concerns over operational safety.

With IANS inputs