An Air India flight from Delhi to Pune was grounded on Friday after a bird hit the aircraft. The issue was noticed after the plane safely landed in Pune. Along with this, eight more flights, four domestic and four international were cancelled due to extra safety checks and maintenance. These steps were taken after last week’s deadly crash of Air India’s AI171 flight from Ahmedabad to London, which killed 270 people. 

Air India has now started strict safety checks on all its 787 Dreamliner planes. The cancelled domestic flights include AI874 (Pune to Delhi), AI456 (Ahmedabad to Delhi), AI2872 (Hyderabad to Mumbai), and AI571 (Chennai to Mumbai). The international flights cancelled were AI906 (Dubai to Chennai), AI308 (Delhi to Melbourne), AI309 (Melbourne to Delhi), and AI2204 (Dubai to Hyderabad). Air India said its teams are working to help affected passengers with alternate travel options. The airline is also offering full refunds or free rescheduling.

Air India cuts 38 international flights weekly 

Air India has announced plans to reduce 38 international flights per week and temporarily suspend three overseas routes from June 21 to July 15. This move follows the airline’s decision to reduce the number of international flights using wide-body aircraft to just 15% during this time.

These changes come after the tragic crash of flight AI171 near Ahmedabad on June 12, which killed 269 people. Only one person survived, a British national of Indian origin. In response, the government has made strict pre-flight safety checks mandatory for all Dreamliner aircraft. Flight paths have also been affected by the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, leading to longer flying times.

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the airline is taking extra precautions to build passenger confidence by carrying out enhanced safety checks on both Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft.

The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused and said it is offering affected passengers options such as alternate flights, free rescheduling, or full refunds. Air India also said it is contacting all affected travellers and updating the revised flight schedule on its website, app, and call centre. The airline assured that restoring normal operations is a top priority, but passenger safety comes first.