Yet another setback for Air India, yet again at Ahmedabad airport, and once more involving a London-bound flight. On Tuesday, Air India flight AI 159, which had arrived from New Delhi, was scheduled to fly passengers from Ahmedabad to London. However, before departure, a technical fault was detected in the aircraft, leading to the cancellation of the flight. All passengers were deboarded following the incident.
This incident comes just five days after a tragic air disaster involving another London-bound Air India flight. On Thursday at 1:38 PM, Air India flight AI 171 took off from Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport en route to Gatwick, London. Less than a minute after takeoff, the aircraft crashed in the Meghaninagar area of Ahmedabad.
Out of the 242 people on board, 241 lost their lives in the crash. The only survivor was Vishwaskumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin. The aircraft crashed into a densely populated residential area, resulting in additional civilian casualties on the ground. According to official sources, the total death toll from the crash currently stands at 274, including passengers and residents.
Tuesday’s cancelled flight was supposed to be the first London-bound Air India service from Ahmedabad following the fatal crash. Sources report that the Boeing aircraft encountered a mechanical failure in its left engine just before takeoff. Following the earlier tragedy, Air India had changed the flight number for its Ahmedabad–London route from AI 171 to AI 159. Traditionally, flight numbers involved in major crashes are retired permanently. However, even under its new number, the London-bound service could not take off due to the technical issue.
