An Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata faced a major setback early Tuesday when a technical issue forced a delay at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata. The flight, AI180, encountered a snag in its left engine, preventing timely departure from Kolkata to its final destination, Mumbai.
The aircraft landed in Kolkata at 12:45 am as scheduled. However, the left engine reportedly developed a technical fault, prompting airport authorities and the flight crew to take safety precautions. After an extended wait of nearly five hours, at around 5:20 am, passengers were asked to deboard the aircraft.
The pilot informed travelers that the delay and deboarding were precautionary measures taken to ensure their safety. Visuals from the airport showed ground personnel inspecting the left engine as the plane remained parked on the tarmac.
This incident comes just five days after a tragic Air India crash raised global concerns. On that occasion, Air India flight AI-171, en route to London’s Gatwick Airport from Ahmedabad, crashed moments after take-off. The aircraft slammed into the BJ Medical College hostel building, kil*ing 241 of the 242 people onboard, including 230 passengers, 10 crew members, and two pilots. The only survivor was a British national, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh.
With flight safety now under public scrutiny, the latest engine failure has further intensified discussions around Air India’s operational standards and aircraft maintenance.
