Air India suspends some long-haul flights after fatal crash and reduces the frequency of others
Air India has confirmed it is suspending some of its long-haul flights from Saturday, including routes using the same type of Boeing aircraft which crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad.
The decision follows last Thursday's fatal crash involving a Boeing 787-8 flight from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.
All but one of the 242 people on board were killed, with around 30 fatalities on the ground, in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade.
It was confirmed on Wednesday that the sole survivor, a British national, had left hospital.
Most temporary reductions will last until at least mid-July, affecting both 787 and 777 aircraft types, and includes routes to Gatwick.
The firm said in a statement it was cutting international services because of "enhanced pre-flight safety checks" and to accommodate "additional flight durations arising from airspace closures in the Middle East".
Routes between Delhi-Nairobi, Amritsar-Gatwick and Goa-Gatwick are being suspended entirely.
0:34
The frequency of other services will also be reduced from Delhi, Bengaluru and Amritsar to certain destinations in North America, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Europe - including Heathrow and Birmingham.
The route between Ahmedabad and Gatwick remains unaffected.
Air India has apologised and promised to contact affected passengers to offer alternative flights or refunds.
The airline's chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran on Wednesday insisted the Boeing 787-8 aircraft had a "clean history".
"The right engine was a new engine put in [in] March 2025. The left engine was last serviced in 2023 and was due [its] next maintenance check in December 2025," he told the Indian channel Times Now..
Meanwhile, India's aviation regulator has issued warning notices to Air India for breaching safety rules after three of its Airbus planes flew despite being overdue checks on emergency slides and for being slow to address the issue, according to news agency Reuters.
The warning notices and an investigation report were not in any way related to last week's crash and were sent days before that incident.
The government has also said there has not been any decision yet on where the flight data recorders, also called black boxes, will be analysed.
Indian newspaper The Economic Times reported that they were due to be sent to the US so the data could be extracted, as they had suffered fire damage and could not be analysed in India.
The government said in a statement that India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) would decide where the recorders would be examined after making a "due assessment" of all technical, safety and security considerations.
Black boxes have two components - the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - and provide crucial insights for crash investigators.
They include altitude, airspeed, the status of controls and pilot conversations which help determine probable causes of crashes.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
8 hours ago
- Reuters
Sandeep Choudhary to Share Findings on Air India Flight AI171 at Save Earth Mission's Global Vision Unveiling
RAS AL-KHAIMAH, United Arab Emirates, June 28, 2025 (EZ Newswire) -- Sandeep Choudhary, President of the India Chapter of environmental nonprofit Save Earth Mission, opens new tab, will present his analysis of the Air India Flight AI171 crash during the organization's Global Vision Unveiling event on July 3, 2025, at GIFT City in Ahmedabad. Sandeep Choudhary stated that he was able to draw conclusions about the AI171 incident within minutes of reviewing relevant information. He plans to share his perspective publicly at the upcoming event. 'I have connected the dots and decoded what happened to Flight AI171,' said Sandeep Choudhary. 'The findings raise important questions, and I will present them in full on July 3.' The statement has drawn attention online through the hashtag #SandeepDecodedAI171, with users expressing interest in the planned disclosure. Sandeep Choudhary is known for his work in large-scale environmental restoration campaigns. Save Earth Mission, the organization he leads in India, recently completed a mass tree plantation initiative that involved planting over 500,000 trees in one hour. The initiative used geotagging and tracking tools developed by the organization. The Global Vision Unveiling will feature updates on Save Earth Mission's progress toward its 2040 reforestation goal and presentations related to its carbon reduction strategy. Choudhary's upcoming statement regarding Flight AI171 will be presented as part of the event's broader agenda. The event will be broadcast live via some of the leading news networks & It is expected to be observed by journalists, environmental researchers, aviation analysts, and members of the public. Event Information Event Name: Save Earth Mission – Global Vision Unveiling Date: July 3, 2025 Location: GIFT City, Ahmedabad, India Livestream: Hashtags: #SandeepDecodedAI171 #SaveEarthMission #AirIndia #OneTreeOneWorld #EkPedGlobalMission #EarthUnited About Save Earth Mission Save Earth Mission is a nonprofit organization focused on global reforestation, environmental awareness, and carbon offset technologies. The group aims to plant 30 billion trees by 2040 and supports climate action through education, digital innovation, and mass mobilization campaigns. For more information, visit opens new tab. Media Contact Dan Smithyourprwire@ ### SOURCE: Save Earth Mission Copyright 2025 EZ Newswire See release on EZ Newswire
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Daily Mail
People are just realizing why there are still ashtrays in airplane bathrooms
If you've ever noticed an ashtray in an airplane bathroom and wondered why it's still there despite the no smoking signs lighting up all around you - you're not alone. Even though smoking has been banned on all US flights for more than two decades since 2000, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still requires ashtrays to be present near airplane lavatories. The reason? Some passengers still just can't resist lighting up at 35,000 feet. The FAA says people still try to smoke onboard and airlines need a safe way for them to take the light out. 'The installation of an ashtray on or near the lavatory door will ensure that uninformed persons who find themselves with lighted smoking materials on the airplane will have an obvious location to dispose of smoking materials before entering the lavatory,' the FAA explains. The FAA believe it's better to have a designated place to extinguish a cigarette than risk a smoker tossing it into a trash bin full of paper towels and flammable waste. A European flight attendant, who previously worked for a major US airline, told Marketplace she has personally caught multiple passengers trying to sneak a smoke mid-flight. 'What people don't understand is that a fire on board is one of the most scary things to have,' she told the outlet. The FAA regularly investigates 'unruly passenger' reports and lighting up on the flight is included. In 2021, the FAA proposed a whopping $16,700 fine against one Allegiant Air passenger who was caught smoking in the bathroom. Although the FAA itself can't press criminal charges, it can refer extreme cases to the FBI. The agency also can impose civil penalties of up to $37,000 per violation. Also in 2021, a woman on a Spirit Airlines flight to Fort Lauderdale was walked off by police after lighting up a cigarette on the tarmac, drawing scorn from fellow passengers. The unnamed woman pulled out a cigarette after the plane took more than an hour to make its way to the terminal after it arrived at the Florida airport from Detroit. It is not clear why it took that long to taxi. Alexa Majdalawi, 31, who was sitting behind her and has asthma, told Fox News at the time: 'She literally took out a cigarette and just started smoking.' Majdalawi said the woman 'turned around' and blew it in her face. And just this April, a brazen business-class passenger was caught on camera vaping on a flight - with footage showing the premium flyer sneakily tucking the device beneath a cushion between each inhale. The incident, which involved a male passenger seated in executive class, took place on a Garuda Indonesia flight from Jakarta to Medan, Indonesia, on March 27. A shocking clip shows the passenger, who had been filmed by a fellow flyer, subtly lifting the e-cigarettes to his lips from under a red cushion placed on his lap. A former flight attendant who worked on planes in the 1970s previously revealed to Daily Mail that the cigarette smoke on planes used to be so thick her makeup would drip down her face. Mary Mckenna recalled her memories of working on American Airlines from 1976 to 2010. While her career had many highlights, the now-outlawed act of smoking during flights posed various concerns for her. She recalled: 'The smoke was so intense on the plane that my eye makeup would be dripping down my face, I couldn't breathe.' Mary also explained that she would have to take extra caution to watch out for passengers falling asleep with lit cigarettes in their hands due to the fire risk.
Times
16 hours ago
- Times
How do we judge if a destination feels safe?
The question I'm most often asked at this time of year is: 'Where should I go on holiday?' But over the past week, more often than not it's been: 'Should I go on holiday?' When the world shifts even just a little on its axis, with events such as conflict and plane crashes, it can suddenly seem a much scarier place — and travellers' perceptions of 'safe' shifts with it. What was OK only hours or minutes ago is suddenly not. This was thrown into sharp relief earlier this month, when missile strikes led Iran, Israel and Iraq to close their airspaces to commercial air traffic and international aviation agencies to issue no-fly warnings, compounding the closure of Russian airspace as a result of the conflict with Ukraine. The UK Foreign Office travel advice, which not only informs us of entry requirements to any given destination but also gives a steer on health risks, cultural differences and, crucially at turbulent times, advice about how to stay safe, changed for many countries in the region. The proximity of Iran and Israel to holiday hotspots such as the United Arab Emirates or Turkey has worried travellers headed in that direction on their summer trips. So if you've booked to travel overseas this summer — or are about to book — but are suddenly feeling nervous, how do you make a considered decision? Understanding a little more about what your consumer rights are if things go wrong can help. For example, if the Foreign Office advises against all travel, it immediately renders most insurance policies invalid, helping the prudent travellers among us overcome any residual indecision. It's not just travel insurers who follow it to the letter — travel agents and tour operators also follow its lead. Members of the trade organisation Abta, for example, will give customers travelling to a destination suddenly deemed unsafe the options of deferring their date of travel, transferring to another destination or a full refund. • Is it safe to travel to the Middle East right now? But even if the Foreign Office doesn't advise against travel, or advises against all but essential travel, I've noticed a new level of wavering when the travelling public hear about delays, cancellations and airspace closures. We know we can go, but we're not sure we should. And everyone judges acceptable risk differently. My septuagenarian parents, for example, were first off the block once borders opened after Covid but are now feeling more nervous about travel. They had no plans to travel long-haul but the disruption across the Middle East since June 15 — when the UK Foreign Office advised against all travel to Israel and since updated its travel advice for all countries in the region — has introduced doubt about going overseas at all, even on the European river cruises they love. Fellow parents are concerned about taking children to European destinations that they worry may not be safe such as Cyprus or Turkey; other friends are worried about being delayed returning home after a trip to Dubai or Oman. No one likes the thought of being stranded anywhere and so passengers are easily spooked by cancellations and delays. Closed airspace, which is often a fluid situation that can change by the hour, will continue to factor in our international travel for the foreseeable. It also has a fundamental impact on airline operations, affecting fuel consumption, crew and aircraft displacement and even catering. Flights from Europe to Asia that would under normal circumstances have crossed Iranian, Iraqi, Jordanian or Israeli airspace are forced to reroute over Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. It means the number of what we call 'air corridors' from Europe to Asia has effectively shrunk from three to two, extending some flight routes from Istanbul to Abu Dhabi 'We understand that travellers may have concerns due to recent developments in the region,' a spokesperson from Visit Dubai said. • Turkey travel advice: is it safe to visit right now? 'Even a 20 to 30-minute increase in average flight time — typical of current reroutings — can have a significant operational impact,' the travel intelligence platform Skift said. 'For passengers this can mean missed connections, longer transit times and added stress.' And for passengers travelling to or through the Middle East last week, this was considerable. Most airlines have paused routes to Tel Aviv, and destinations in Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon. British Airways resumed flights to Doha on Friday but has cancelled all flights to and from Jordan and Bahrain up to July 10; while United Airlines and American Airlines have both cancelled routes to Doha and Dubai until early July. • Cyprus travel advice: is it safe to visit right now? Whether you choose to take this as a reason not to travel or an indication of the importance of passenger safety is up to you, but a look into the size and the complexity of airline crisis management may just inspire confidence rather than fear. Last week Qatar Airways gave an unprecedented look into what happened when Qatari airspace closed on Monday, swiftly followed by airspace in Bahrain, the UAE and Kuwait. Doha's Hamad International airport, one of the world's most connected global hubs, was brought to a standstill, with over 10,000 passengers inside already in transit and almost 100 aircraft en route to Doha or preparing for departure. 'Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha were forced to divert into airports across Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Oman and the United Arab Emirates,' said its chief executive, Badr Mohammed al-Meer. • Travel for the over-70s — everything you need to know about insurance and more 'The remaining aircraft were rerouted to major hubs including London, Barcelona and others across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.' Once Qatari airspace reopened shortly after midnight on June 24, diverted aircraft began returning to Doha, the number of passengers in transit needing support ranging from accommodation and alternative transport to food and drink surged to over 22,000. Unsurprisingly, we hear less about the flights that did operate. According to the aviation data agency Cirium, of 162 scheduled flights between London and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain from Sunday to Tuesday last week, only 21 were cancelled (12 per cent). Emirates has carried over 1.7 million passengers in the past two weeks and Royal Jordanian is flying full capacity to Jordan. Dubai, which has long positioned itself as one of the world's safest cities, says flights have operated with minimal disruption. 'We understand that travellers may have concerns due to recent developments in the region,' the Dubai Media Centre said. 'However, Dubai remains fully open for business and tourism. Dubai's airspace, airport infrastructure and emergency response systems are among the most advanced globally, with air-traffic control teams managing route adjustments seamlessly in line with international safety protocols.' I spoke to some tour operators to ask how they're handling things. 'Our top priority is always to ensure that every journey feels both safe and enjoyable, so if a guest still feels unsure, we will always look at offering bespoke solutions — whether that's adapting the itinerary to focus on a different part of the country, suggesting alternative destinations or providing flexibility to travel at a later date,' said Andre Rickerby, Scott Dunn's UK executive vice-president. • Travel insurance guide: everything you need to know 'For guests who remain uneasy, our specialists are happy to suggest routing alternatives — whether that's switching to a different airline, considering a connection through a specific hub or discussing destinations that avoid longer-haul.' 'Things can change quickly and last-minute options are always available,' said Charlotte Wells, director of global tailormade product at Abercrombie & Kent. 'Travel specialists can offer advice and alternatives, ensuring that your journey matches your comfort level and the style of holiday you're after. Some destinations are quieter than usual, which means fewer crowds, better access to key sights and a more relaxed experience overall. Similarly, it could be an opportunity to explore somewhere completely different or out of season, giving you a new travel experience entirely.' Help make travel more seamless — and therefore fun! — by taking out comprehensive insurance at the time of booking, keeping an eye on Foreign Office destination advice, downloading relevant apps and knowing your consumer rights (see our advice about specific destinations, flight cancellations and refunds). At which point, hopefully, the answer will be: of course you should go on holiday. Are you concerned about travel right now? Let us know in the comments below
