Kolkata:
An Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata suffered a technical snag early Tuesday, requiring passengers to deboard during a scheduled halt at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. The flight faced a technical problem in the left engine, delaying take-off from Kolkata to Mumbai, reported the news agency PTI.
Air India flight AI180 departed from the San Francisco Airport as per the schedule. However, upon its arrival at the Kolkata airport at 12:45 am, it faced a technical glitch in the left engine.
After over four hours, at 5:20 am, an announcement was made asking all the passengers to deplane. The captain informed the passengers that the decision was being made in the interest of flight safety, reported PTI.
In a video from the ground, the left engine of the Air India aircraft can be seen stationed on the tarmac at Kolkata airport, with ground staff inspecting the area.
This comes five days after Air India flight AI-171, en route London’s Gatwick Airport from Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport in Ahmedabad, crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel building within seconds after take-off. 242 people, including 230 passengers, 10 cabin crew members and two pilots, were on board the crashed Air India plane. Everyone, except a British national, Vishwas Kumar Ramesh, was charred to death.