Air India Flight Faces Technical Issues, Passengers Deplaned in Kolkata

Technical Glitches Force Passengers to Deplane

On Tuesday, passengers aboard an Air India flight headed to Mumbai had to disembark after the aircraft encountered a technical problem with one of its engines. The flight, which was traveling from San Francisco, made an emergency landing in Kolkata at 12:45 AM. Reports indicate that the plane was scheduled to leave for Mumbai at 2 AM when the issue was identified during its stopover. Passengers were asked to leave the aircraft around 5:20 AM.

In a series of operational challenges, Air India faced another cancellation on Monday (June 16, 2025) involving a flight bound for Ahmedabad. The AI flight A12493, which was supposed to depart from Mumbai, was grounded due to operational delays. The aircraft, intended to be operated by an Airbus A321-211, could not proceed as the crew exceeded their duty time limits.

The delay resulted in the crew reaching their Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which restricts airline personnel from exceeding their working hours for safety reasons. Additionally, on the same day, an Air India Express flight to Ranchi had to return to Delhi shortly after takeoff due to technical difficulties.

This flight was supposed to land at Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi at 6:20 PM but was diverted back due to the issues. Fortunately, after an inspection, the flight was cleared to continue its journey, as confirmed by an Air India spokesperson.

The spokesperson stated, “One of our flights returned to Delhi after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue. Following inspections and clearance, the aircraft resumed its scheduled operations. We apologize for the inconvenience.” Earlier that day, another Air India flight was also redirected back to Hong Kong from Delhi.