Technical 'snag' interrupts Air India Express' Kolkata-Hindon flight by several hours, airline to clarify reason

An Air India Express flight from Kolkata to Uttar Pradesh's Hindon airport on Sunday has been delayed by several hours due to a technical “snag”.

This comes just days after a flight operated by its parent company, Air India, crashed into a medical hostel after failing to lift off properly, resulting in 270 deaths—241 people on board the aircraft, and 29 others in the hostel and surrounding areas.

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“Our Kolkata-Hindon flight operated with a delay due to a snag on the originally assigned aircraft. Guests were offered complimentary resceduling or cancellation with a full refund. We regret the inconvenience,” a spokesperson for the airline told ANI.

The airline has not clarified further.

Meanwhile, following a directive from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) after the deadly AI 171 crash—which ordered enhanced safety checks on the Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft within Air India's fleet—Air India declared in a statement on Saturday that it had completed  inspections of 9 out of its 33 aircraft.

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The company's X post claimed that inspections of the remaining 24 aircraft would be done soon, within the DGCA-mandated timeframe.

“Some of these checks could lead to higher turnaround time and potential delays on certain long-haul routes especially those to airports with operating curfews. Customers will be duly notified about any delays,” the company claimed.

Besides, Air India has been asked to introduce air control inspections, as a part of its transit inspections till further notice, as well as further power assurance checks to be carried out within two  weeks, an ANI report added. 

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