Air India faced major operational setbacks on Monday, one involving a flight that aborted take-off in Delhi, and another where an aircraft veered off the runway during landing in rain-hit Mumbai. While no injuries were reported in either case, both incidents have once again brought safety concerns at the airline into focus.

Take-off aborted at high speed in Delhi

An Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata was forced to stop its take-off just as it was speeding down the runway on Monday evening. The aircraft, Flight AI2403, was traveling at 155 km per hour when a technical issue was detected. Acting swiftly, the pilots applied brakes and safely stopped the aircraft.

The flight was scheduled to depart at 5:30 PM but was rescheduled after the aborted take-off. Air India, in a statement, said:

"Flight AI2403 operating from Delhi to Kolkata on 21 July 2025 has been rescheduled to depart later this evening, necessitated by a technical issue detected during the take-off roll. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off, following Standard Operating Procedures."

The airline further added: "All passengers have disembarked, and our ground colleagues in Delhi are extending support to them. Inconvenience caused to the passengers due to this unforeseen disruption is sincerely regretted. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers remain top priority."

Close shave in Mumbai as flight skids off runway

In a separate incident earlier in the day, an Air India flight arriving from Kochi to Mumbai had a close call after it slid off the runway while landing on a wet surface.

Images accessed by NDTV show damage to one of the engines and grass stuck to the rear of the aircraft, indicating that part of the plane left the runway. Airport authorities confirmed that all passengers are safe.

Government sources said the aircraft made a runway excursion, with one of its wheels moving into the grassy area beside the runway. The incident damaged three signage boards and four runway edge lights.

The aircraft has been grounded for inspection, and both pilots have been derostered while an investigation is underway.

Amid growing concerns over safety, the Ministry of Civil Aviation told Rajya Sabha on Monday that nine show-cause notices have been issued to Air India over the past six months for five different safety violations.

Minister of State for Civil AviationMurlidhar Mohol responded to questions raised by MPs and said:

"Enforcement action has been completed in respect of one violation."

However, he did not give further details about the cases.

The minister also said that while no adverse trend was noticed in the airline’s crash reports, the notices were issued based on specific violations identified during this period.

Ahmedabad–London crash killed 260

Last month, Air India faced one of the deadliest aviation disasters in recent times. A flight from Ahmedabad to London (AI171) crashed shortly after take-off, killing 260 people, including 241 passengers. Only one passenger, seated in 11A, survived. The plane crashed into a building next to a hospital.

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