Air India currently operates about 70 daily international flights on its wide body fleet
With a view to undertaking enhanced safety checks on all its widebody aircraft in the aftermath of the deadly Air India, AI-171 crash which claimed over 270 lives, Air India has announced a reduction of 15 pc in its international flights with widebody aircraft, involving Boeing 787 Dreamliners as well as Boeing 777 aircraft.
In a statement on its social media handles, Air India says that the decision to curtail flights has come as a measure of adequate precaution by it and following the checks mandated by civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Air India Boeing Dreamliners.
It says that decision to curtail international flights has also been influenced by the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, which have led to closure of several airspaces.
The airline currently operates about 70 daily international flights on its wide body fleet.
“Due to the geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, night curfew in the airspaces of many countries in Europe and East Asia, the ongoing enhanced safety inspections, and also the necessary cautious approach being taken by the engineering staff and Air India pilots, there have been certain disruptions in our international operations over the last 6 days leading to a total of 83 cancellations,” the airline said in a statement on social media platform X, (formerly Twitter) late last night.
“Given the compounding circumstances that Air India is facing, to ensure stability of our operations, better efficiency and to minimise inconvenience to passengers, Air India has decided to reduce its international services on wide body aircraft by 15 pc for the next few weeks. The cuts will be implemented between now and June 20 and will continue thereafter until at least mid-July. This effectively adds to our reserve aircraft availability to take care of any unplanned disruptions,” it added.
The airline also provided updates on the ongoing investigation across its Boeing 787-8/9 aircraft fleet. The investigating authorities are continuing efforts to determine the cause of the accident. The DGCA had mandated an ‘Enhanced Safety Inspection’ across Air India’s Boeing 787-8/9 fleet. Out of a total of 33 aircraft, inspections have been completed on 26, all of which have been cleared for service, while inspections on the remaining aircraft are expected to be completed in the coming days. The clearance of 26 aircraft reflects confidence in the airline’s safety measures and procedures.
“As a matter of added precaution, Air India will also undertake enhanced safety checks on its Boeing 777 fleet and, going forward, we will continue to cooperate with the authorities, viz AAIB, DGCA, MoCA to ensure the safety of our passengers, our crew and our aircraft, which remains our highest priority,” said Air India.
“The decision to reduce flights is a painful but necessary step, With the continued support of our passengers, the regulatory authorities, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and India at large, we will come out stronger through this tragic incident,” adds Air India.
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