Now, Air India cancels Delhi-Paris flight due to an ‘issue’

New Delhi:  In a series of cancellations, Air India on Tuesday announced the axing of Flight AI 143 from Delhi to Paris, after mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue “which is being presently addressed”.

Consequently, “flight AI 142 from Paris to Delhi on June 18, 2025, also stands cancelled”, the carrier said in a statement.

“In view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, the said flight has been cancelled. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination at the earliest,” the statement read.

The carrier further stated that they are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted for by the passengers.

Earlier in the day, Flight AI-159 — Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner — from Ahmedabad to London-Gatwick was cancelled due to the unavailability of the aircraft, “resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed”, said Air India.

The aircraft, which was scheduled to depart at 1.10 p.m., was grounded hours before take-off after routine pre-flight checks flagged the issue.

The abrupt cancellation caused chaos at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport, with scores of international passengers stranded, many of them already reeling from anxiety sparked by last week’s tragedy.

This was the second cancellation on the Ahmedabad–London route in just four days. The previous flight on June 14 was also scrapped following the crash, which killed 241 people on board and many others on the ground, bringing the toll till now to 270.

Since then, Air India has retired the flight number AI-171, replacing it with AI-159 as a symbolic reset.

An Air India Flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata was also halted at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata early Tuesday morning after a technical snag was detected in one of its engines.

According to reports, the Director General of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) also summoned an urgent virtual meeting with Air India and Air India Express officials.

–IANS