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Air India’s operational challenges continued to mount, with multiple flight disruptions on Tuesday, including two major international services—Delhi to Paris and Ahmedabad to London—being called off in a day. A glitch also forced passengers on the San Francisco-Mumbai flight to deplane during a stopver in Kolkata.

While Air India's Delhi-Paris flight was cancelled after some issues were detected during pre-flight checks, the Ahmedabad-London flight was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline confirmed.

Air India also cancelled its San Francisco-Mumbai flight after it developed a technical snag in one of its engines. The issue was reported when the flight developed a technical snag during scheduled halt at Kolkata early on Tuesday morning.

These fresh troubles come as authorities continue to investigate the crash of a London-bound Air India flight that plummeted into a residential area in Ahmedabad on June 12, claiming over 270 lives, both onboard and on the ground.

The incident sent shockwaves to both the company as well as people across the country. The airline owner Tata, which takes pride for producing luxury cars to salt and software as well as assembly of iPhone, also expressed deep shock over the tragic crash.

Air India Delhi-Paris Flight Cancelled

The Delhi–Paris flight, operating under flight number AI143, was grounded after engineers flagged an undisclosed issue during mandatory checks. The decision to cancel was influenced by nighttime operational restrictions at Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport.

In a statement, Air India said flight AI143 from Delhi to Paris has been cancelled after "mandatory pre-flight checks identified an issue which is being presently addressed". However, it did not detail the issue due to which the decision was taken.

"However, in view of the flight coming under the restrictions on night operations at Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, the said flight has been cancelled," Air India said.

The airline further said that passengers affected by the cancellation were offered hotel stays, complete refunds, or the option to reschedule at no extra cost if opted by them. Air India also said it is making alternative arrangements to fly passengers to their destination at the earliest.

Consequently, flight AI142 from Paris to Delhi on June 17, was also cancelled.

Air India Ahmedabad-London Flight Cancelled

Air India on Monday resumed Ahmedabad–London Gatwick route after the deadly crash last week. The flight is now operating as AI159 after the suspension of flight AI171 post-crash, was again cancelled on Tuesday.

The reason behind the disruption was attributed to aircraft unavailability, which was a result of airspace restrictions and extended turnaround times due to additional safety inspections. The airline dismissed speculation that a technical fault was behind the decision, reiterating that alternative travel arrangements, refunds, or rescheduling options were being provided.

Air India's official website also confirmed that the AI-159 Ahmedabad-London flight stood cancelled after being rescheduled. The flight was scheduled to depart at 3:00 PM from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (SVPIA) and was supposed to land at the Gatwick airport in London.

"Flight AI-159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick (London) has been cancelled today (Tuesday) due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed," an AI spokesperson told PTI.

"We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by passengers," he added.

AI's direct flight from Ahmedabad to London was earlier known by its assigned code 'AI-171'. However, when it resumed operation on Monday (June 16), five days after the crash, it was given a new flight code AI-159.

Air India London-Amritsar Flight Cancelled

In another setback, flight AI-170 from London (Gatwick) to Amritsar on June 17 was also cancelled, the airline said. This comes as Iran has shut down its airspace due to its ongoing war with Israel. The move has also affected flights headed to Europe.

Air India San Francisco-Mumbai Flight Cancelled

An Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai suffered a technical snag early Tuesday, following which passengers were asked to deboard during a scheduled halt at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

This led to chaotic scenes at the airport as the 211 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 LR tried to request officials to make arrangements for timely arrival at their destination.

Usually, Air India flies directly from San Francisco to Mumbai. However, with the Pakistani airspace shut, the airline had to reroute the plane and take a "technical halt" in Kolkata.

The technical issue was detected when routine post-landing checks were performed. When the airline decided to do a comprehensive check, it discovered a problem with the left engine.

Earlier, the airline had promised that the snag will take up to 25 minutes to get sorted, but when the problem persisted the pilots announced that a resolution was not possible and asked all passengers to deboard. The Tata Group-owned carrier did not issue an official statement.

Air India flight AI133 from Bengaluru to London and AI132 from London to Bengaluru were also cancelled today.

According to a report by NDTV, AI 915 Delhi-Dubai and AI 153 Delhi-Vienna were also cancelled on Tuesday by Air India.

(With inputs from news agency PTI.)