Page 4 - Air India

Air India flew 8 times without airworthiness licence: Here's what it means

The incident raised concerns as it came months after the deadly London-bound Dreamliner crash in June that killed 260 civilians

All probable causes of Air India plane crash are being investigated: Govt

The civil aviation ministry on Monday said all probable causes leading to the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad in June are being investigated and emphasised that the preliminary probe report contains factual information based on the evidence available at that point in time. A total of 260 people, including 241 passengers and crew members, died when a London Gatwick-bound Air India Boeing 787-8 aircraft crashed soon after take off from Ahmedabad on June 12. Only one passenger survived. The plane was operating the flight AI171. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), which is probing the fatal accident, came out with its preliminary report on July 12. Certain concerns have been raised regarding the probe in certain quarters. The preliminary report contains factual information based on the evidence available at that point in time. The investigation is in progress. All probable causes leading to the accident are being investigated, Minister of State for Civil Aviation ...

Over 90% of Air India A320 fleet reset, operations continue smoothly

The airline added that its engineering and ground teams worked round the clock to ensure there were no cancellations and minimal impact on flight schedules

Air India a responsibility, not just a business opportunity: Chandrasekaran

Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Saturday said Air India, which is undergoing a transformation, is not just a business opportunity but a "responsibility" for the Tata Group. The aviation sector faces continous challenges, he said and added that the global supply chain issues make availability of parts, infrastructure and new fleet pretty unpredictable. "Every plan that you have is becoming difficult because of the situations that you face in this area," he said. Chandrasekaran also mentioned that the aviation is a very capital intensive business and also the margins are thin. At an event in the city to celebrate the 121st birth anniversary of J R D Tata, Chandrasekaran said, "I firmly believe for the Tata Group, Air India is just not a business opportunity. It's a responsibility". Tatas acquired loss-making Air India along with Air India Express in January 2022, and since then, the group has been working on an ambitious five-year transformation plan. However, the progress ha

Airbus software glitch: IndiGo, AI to ground 350 A320 jets for the weekend

Over 350 A320 aircraft of IndiGo and Air India to be grounded for mandatory software upgrade after a JetBlue A320 flight suffered a sudden pitch-down incident on October 30 in US

Flight delays, cancellations likely as over 200 A320 jets face safety fix

IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express flight operations will see disruptions as they work on fixing a potential issue related to flight controls in their A320 family planes and 200-250 aircraft will be impacted in the country, according to sources. Airbus on Friday said intense solar radiation might corrupt data critical to flight controls in a significant number of A320 family aircraft and that the software changes required to fix the issue would lead to operational disruptions. With many of the narrow-body A320 family planes of the domestic carriers set to undergo software changes or in some cases hardware realignment, there will be operational disruptions as the aircraft have to be grounded, the sources said. Indian operators have about 560 A320 family aircraft and 200-250 of them will need software changes or hardware realignment, they added. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said Airbus asked airline operators to install a serviceable Elevator Aileron Computer

Ahmedabad-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after false smoke alert

An Ahmedabad-bound Air India plane returned to the Delhi airport on Thursday evening due to suspected smoke in the cargo hold area, according to sources. After checks, the smoke indication was found to be false, the sources said. The Delhi-Ahmedabad flight AI2939, operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, had around 170 people onboard, they added. An airline official said the aircraft returned to Delhi shortly after take off due to a smoke indication, which was later found to be false after the aircraft underwent thorough precautionary checks. Following standard operating procedures, the aircraft landed in Delhi and the passengers and crew were disembarked safely, the official said. Passengers were later flown to Ahmedabad in another aircraft.

Ethiopia volcano ash disrupts many flights, govt says no cause for concern

An aviation industry source said Delhi airport saw seven international flight cancellations and twelve delays between 1 am and 6 pm on Tuesday owing to the ash cloud drifting eastward

Air India, Akasa, IndiGo cancel flights after Ethiopia volcano erupts

Air India has cancelled at least 11 flights since Monday and is conducting precautionary inspections on aircraft that flew over areas affected by ash plumes from the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia

Ensuring compensation to crash victims' kin is done fairly: Air India CEO

Net increase in Air India's aircraft fleet will begin from 2027-28 onwards, he added

Air India reinstates codeshare partnership with Air Canada after 5 years

Air India on Saturday announced the reinstatement of its codeshare partnership with Air Canada, which was suspended more than five years ago during the coronavirus pandemic. The codeshare agreement will enable Air India to offer passengers access to six points across Canada beyond its gateways at Vancouver and London (Heathrow). A codeshare partnership allows passengers to travel on a single ticket on different flights. Air India will place its 'AI' designator code on Air Canada-operated flights on these routes -- from Vancouver to: Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Montral and Halifax; and from London Heathrow to Vancouver and Calgary. "Reciprocally, Air Canada customers will benefit from seamless domestic India connectivity to Amritsar, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Kochi via Delhi, and to Delhi and Mumbai via London (Heathrow)," a release said. For now, it is Air India's only codeshare partnership with a North American carrier. During the pandemic, then government-owned Air Indi

Air India lobbies to use airspace over China's Xinjiang amid financial woes

For Air India, the country's only carrier with a major international network, fuel costs have risen by as much as 29% and journey times by up to three hours on some long-haul routes

Air India to resume non-stop flights to Shanghai from February 2026

Shanghai is the 48th international destination to be served by Air India group, which continues to carry more passengers internationally than any other airline in India

Air India to restart China flights in 2026 after nearly six-year halt

In Oct, China's Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport announced the resumption of flights between the two nations, ending an over five years halt and signaling cautious easing of bilateral tension

Air India's losses 'dragged' down net profit in H1: Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines reported a 67.8% drop in H1 profit, citing Air India's losses and lower interest income as key factors

Pilot not being blamed in AAIB's report for AI plane crash: Centre to SC

The Air India pilot has not been blamed in the AAIB's preliminary report into the June 12 plane crash that claimed 260 lives, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Thursday A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was told by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that the Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) probe team into the plane crash was formed under the international regime and there is a statutory provision for it. Justice Bagchi said, The AAIB inquiry is not for apportion blame on anyone. It is only to clarify the cause so that the same does not happen again. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, said that a parallel inquiry should be done like a court of inquiry into the accident of such a major scale. He said that a pilot federation has stated that these airplanes cannot be trusted and there is a huge risk on people flying in their aircraft. Justice Kant said these proceedings should not become a fight between one airline versus another airline, and

Pilot-in-command not to be blamed for Air India crash, observes SC

The Supreme Court observed that no fault could be attributed to the Air India pilot in the June Ahmedabad crash as it heard a plea for an independent, court-monitored probe into the tragedy

'No one can blame him': SC tells father of pilot in Air India crash

A two-judge bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a petition filed by Pushkar Raj Sabharwal, the father of Commander Sumeet Sabharwal, in a case about the Air India crash

Air India check-in glitch delays scores of flights at multiple airports

Air India's check-in systems at Delhi and some other airports faced problems due to a third-party connectivity network issue on Wednesday, according to sources. The airline said the system has since been restored. In a post on X, Air India also said that some of its flights may continue to be delayed for some time as the situation normalises progressively. At the Delhi airport, the check-in systems were down at terminals T2 and T3 for around 70 minutes from 3.40 pm till 4.50 pm, one of the sources said. "A third-party connectivity network issue had impacted check-in systems at some airports, thereby delaying flight departures of some airlines, including Air India. The system has since been restored," the airline said. Details about airports were not disclosed. Air India also asked passengers flying with the airline on Wednesday to check their flight status on its website before heading to the airport and allow extra time for their journey.

Air India to restart Delhi-Tel Aviv direct flights from January 2026

The Israel Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday said there will be an enhancement in connectivity with the resumption of Air India's direct flight service between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, which is set to relaunch on January 1, 2026. This is expected to provide a stimulus for tourism and economic exchange between the two nations, the Israel Ministry of Tourism said in a statement. The restored route will see five weekly flights operating from Sunday to Thursday, utilising the advanced Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The flight from Tel Aviv will depart at 11:40 am and arrive in Delhi at 8:50 pm, while the flight from Delhi will depart at 7:00 am and arrive in Tel Aviv at 9:55 am, facilitating easy onward connections. Adding to this positive momentum, Arkia Airlines, an Israeli carrier, has also expressed a strong interest in reopening its direct route to India. Arkia's recent high-level meeting with the Indian Ambassador further underscores the enormous potential and desire to strengthe