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KATHMANDU, June 17: An Air India flight en route from San Francisco to Mumbai was forced to divert and land in Kolkata early Tuesday morning due to technical issues in one of its engines.
Flight AI180, operated by a Boeing 777-200LR, landed at Kolkata airport at 12:45 AM as scheduled, with plans to depart for Mumbai at 2:00 AM. However, a technical fault in the left engine led to a delay, and by 5:20 AM, the captain instructed passengers to disembark, citing safety concerns.
Four boeing aircraft turned back in just two days
In a concerning series of events, four Boeing aircraft, including those operated by Air India, were either turned back or diverted in the past two days due to technical issues or emergencies.
Buddha Air flight bound for Jhapa’s Bhadrapur diverted to Kathm...
On Monday, Air India flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi had to return mid-flight due to a technical fault. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.
Another Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi was also turned back shortly after takeoff due to suspected technical issues. The Boeing 737 MAX 8 was scheduled to land at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 6:20 PM.
On Sunday, two inbound Dreamliner flights to India were turned around mid-air. One British Airways flight from London to Chennai experienced a technical failure, while a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Hyderabad was forced to return after receiving a bomb threat.
Smoke incident during landing in Lucknow
In another alarming incident, a Saudia Airlines flight (SV-3112) carrying Hajj pilgrims from Jeddah emitted sparks and smoke from its landing gear during touchdown at Lucknow’s Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport on Sunday morning.
The pilot quickly alerted Air Traffic Control, bringing the aircraft to a stop and preventing a major accident. Emergency services rushed to the scene and extinguished the smoke using foam and water. The situation was under control after 20 minutes. The flight was carrying 250 passengers and crew and had landed at 6:30 AM.
Passengers left without air conditioning for 5 hours
Three days earlier, on June 13, passengers on Air India Express flight IX-196 from Dubai to Jaipur were forced to sit inside the aircraft for over five hours without air conditioning. During this period, no drinking water or assistance was provided. The flight, which was scheduled to depart at 7:25 PM, took off only at 12:44 AM and landed in Jaipur on the morning of June 14.
A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, sparking further concerns over the airline’s technical preparedness and passenger care.
