A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from Hyderabad carrying 92 passengers was grounded and later cancelled on Friday due to a technical issue, news agency PTI reported, citing airport sources.
The technical glitch was detected after passengers had boarded, prompting their deplaning.
They were later accommodated on another Air India flight, the sources said.
“AI 2534 to Mumbai was cancelled due to technical reasons,” the sources told PTI.
Air India cancels 8 more flights
Air India has cancelled eight other flights earlier on Friday—four of them on international routes—citing operational reasons. The move comes amid a nearly 20% decline in bookings, which travel industry experts attribute to the aftermath of last week’s fatal plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The crash involved Air India flight AI-171, a London-bound Airbus A320-200, which went down shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12.
The flight, carrying 242 passengers and crew, crashed into a medical college complex, killing all but one passenger and nearly 29 people on the ground.
The Delhi-Pune flight was cancelled on Friday after a bird strike was detected upon the aircraft’s arrival in Pune. The plane was grounded for a thorough inspection.
Tata-owned Air India said that it has arranged accommodation for affected passengers and is offering refunds or complimentary rescheduling for the cancelled flights.
The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) reported a roughly 20% decline in bookings for Air India across both domestic and international sectors, along with a drop in average fares by 8–15% since the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner crash.
According to news agency PTI, Air India did not issue a response to a query regarding the recent drop in bookings.
PTI quoted IATO president Ravi Gosain as saying, “Following the unfortunate incident involving Air India, we have observed a temporary decline in bookings, particularly on international sectors.”
He added, “While the exact percentage varies by route, our estimates indicate a dip of around 18-22 per cent on international bookings and a 10-12 per cent fall domestically in the immediate aftermath. However, this appears to be a short-term sentiment-driven reaction, as confidence typically stabilises over time.”
