The North News
New Delhi, June 17
Air India has cancelled its Ahmedabad-London flight AI-159, citing a technical fault, just days after a deadly crash involving its predecessor service on the same route. The decision to ground the flight on Tuesday follows the June 12 crash of AI-171 shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad en route to London Gatwick, which killed 274 people—including 241 onboard and 33 on the ground.
The Flight AI-171 has since been replaced by AI-159, and the return leg is now renumbered AI-160, as the airline attempts to move past the tragedy. This was not the first such incident. On Sunday, Air India’s Hong Kong–Delhi flight, AI-315, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, was forced to return to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a suspected technical malfunction. The pilot reported a system fault mid-air and made the decision to turn back as a precaution. The aircraft landed safely at Hong Kong International Airport, and all passengers on board were unharmed.
Officials said investigations were underway to identify the cause of the fault that led to the Ahmedabad-London cancellation, while safety checks were also being reviewed fleet-wide. However no official statement issued in this regard.
