A Sharjah-bound Air India Express flight was grounded at Trichy airport on Wednesday morning after developing a technical snag, leaving 176 passengers stuck on board for hours.
The flight, scheduled to
depart at 4:25 am, was halted near the runway when the fault was detected, said officials aware of the matter.
Engineers were immediately called in to inspect the aircraft while passengers waited inside.
Officials later facilitated safe disembarking and said efforts were underway to resolve the issue, assuring that all precautions were being taken to minimise inconvenience.
In a separate incident, a Delhi-bound Air India flight aborted its takeoff at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) due to a technical issue, according to an official statement.
The aircraft was later changed, and the passengers were shifted to another aircraft, causing a significant delay to their travel.
The airline stated in a press release that flight AI 504, originally scheduled to depart at 10:34 pm, experienced an unexpected incident near the runway, prompting the pilots to abort takeoff.
“Flight AI504 operating from Kochi to Delhi on Sunday, 17 August was delayed due to a technical issue detected during the take-off roll. The cockpit crew decided to discontinue the take-off run, following Standard Operating Procedures and brought the aircraft back to bay for checks,” the airline said.
“Subsequently, all passengers were disembarked, and an alternative aircraft was deployed to operate the flight. Our ground team in Kochi provided immediate assistance to the affected passengers. We regret the inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation. At Air India, the safety and well-being of passengers and crew remain our top priority,” it added.
The Air India flights, especially the Boeing 787 segment, are facing additional scrutiny by the operators after Air India Flight 171 crashed into the BJ Medical College hostel in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
