More than 200 passengers were stranded in Italy as Air India’s Dreamliner faced a technical problem at Milan airport on Friday, forcing the airline to cancel its flight to Delhi.
The airline said flight AI138 from Milan to Delhi on October 17 was canceled due to extended technical requirements for the aircraft scheduled to operate the flight.
Air India has confirmed that alternative arrangements are being made to carry affected passengers.
Based on seat availability on Air India and other airlines, passengers were rebooked on alternate flights on or after October 20, the airline said.
“All affected passengers have been provided hotel accommodation but due to limited availability accommodation has been provided outside the immediate vicinity of the airport.”
The airline regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers and said it continues to provide all necessary ground assistance, including food, to all affected passengers.
Similar cancellation
The latest incident follows similar cancellations earlier in the year. On 3 August, two Air India services were suspended for comparable reasons:
• Flight AI349 (Singapore – Chennai) was canceled due to a maintenance requirement that was identified prior to departure and required additional time to be rectified.
• Flight AI500 (Bhubaneswar to Delhi) was canceled due to a technical problem causing high cabin temperature on the ground before take-off.
An Air India flight from Delhi has been delayed
Air India’s regular evening flight from Delhi to Dhaka on Saturday faced significant delays after a massive fire broke out at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) in the Bangladeshi capital, forcing authorities to suspend all flight operations.
The disruption began on Saturday afternoon when a catastrophic fire broke out in the airport’s sprawling cargo complex, sending thick black smoke billowing over the airport. Due to the proximity and intensity of the fire – which was reportedly fueled by highly flammable goods including chemicals, fabrics and machinery stored in the cargo village – airport authorities immediately decided to close the facility to all inbound and outbound air traffic.
Air India has confirmed that its evening service, flight AI237 (Delhi-Dhaka), has been suspended due to the closure of the destination airport. The airline also noted that the subsequent return flight AI238 (Dhaka-Delhi) will face a corresponding departure delay.
“Due to the closure of Dhaka airport for all flight operations, flight AI237, which was scheduled to operate from Delhi to Dhaka on October 18, has been delayed.
