NEW DELHI: In the second such instance involving an Air India flight within 10 days, the cockpit crew aborted the take-off of Dreamliner Boeing 787-9 aircraft from Delhi to London, carrying 215 passengers, due to a technical glitch and steered the plane to the parking bay.
Flight AI2017 was scheduled to take off at 1.25 pm from Terminal 3, according to a flight tracking online platform. The alternative flight took off at 5.47 pm, four hours and 22 minutes behind schedule.
“The pilot aborted the take-off due to technical reasons. As the pilot was taxiing before the take-off, the decision to return was taken,” sources said.
An AI spokesperson said, “Flight AI2017 operating from Delhi to London on July 31 returned to the bay due to a suspected technical issue. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off run following standard operating procedures and brought the aircraft back for precautionary checks.”
This is the latest in a series of incidents involving the Air India group.
In a similar incident on July 21 an AI flight, an Airbus A320 Neo with 160-plus passengers from Delhi to Kolkata was aborted when it was taxiing for take-off. On June 17, an AI Express Boeing (IX 1113) from Delhi to Ranchi developed a technical snag midair and returned to IGIA.
On June 15, an AI flight (AI 819) from Delhi to Vadodara returned to Delhi due to technical issues. On May 31, a Delhi to Singapore AI flight was aborted twice before take-off due to tech glitch.