Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 24: A Mumbai-bound Air India Express plane, with around 160 passengers on-board, aborted takeoff due to a technical snag at the Delhi airport on Wednesday evening.
An Air India Express spokesperson said on Thursday that the crew of one of the flights from Delhi elected to reject takeoff prioritising safety following a minor technical issue. The source said the pilot decided to abort takeoff as there was a glitch with the screens displaying the speed parameters in the cockpit.
The spokesperson said passengers were de-boarded and accommodated in an alternative aircraft, which departed for Mumbai. “We regret the inconvenience while reiterating that safety remains paramount in all our operations,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the junior Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol told Parliament on Thursday that over 100 Air India pilots had gone on medical leave four days after the London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad killing 274 people. Mr Mohol said 51 Commanders and 61 Flight Officers put in leave requests on that day, underlining the need to recognise and manage pilots’ mental health, particularly after a crash.
Responding to a question in the Lok Sabha, he said airlines were issued – in February 2023 – notices requiring them to ensure “quick and effective methods to assess mental health” during medical tests. He said, airlines and airport authorities were also instructed to introduce “standalone and customised training capsules” for flight crew and air traffic controllers to manage potential mental health problems. And they were also advised to set up peer support groups to “assist and support flight crew / ATCOs (air traffic control officers) in recognising (and) coping with any problem.”
Meanwhile, Air India has confirmed receipt of four show-cause notices from the Director-General of Civil Aviation Wednesday for breaching safety standards related to managing crew fatigue and training. The notices follow voluntary disclosures by the airline over the past 12 months and relate to breaches in ensuring rest periods for cabin crew, training norms, and operational procedures.
On Thursday afternoon an airline spokesperson said, “We acknowledge receipt of these notices… related to certain voluntary disclosures made over the last one year. We will respond to the said notices…” Air India remains committed to the safety of our crew and passengers, the spokesperson said.
The domestic carrier has now received 13 notices in the past six months for multiple safety violations and incidents, such as Tuesday’s fire to the auxiliary power unit of an Airbus A321 that flew from Hong Kong to Delhi. The fire broke out after the plane landed. It was contained and there were no injuries.
Twenty-four hours prior there were two other incidents – a Kochi-Mumbai flight veered off the runaway and suffered damage to an engine cover, and a Delhi-Kolkata flight aborted take-off at the last minute. An identical incident was reported this morning; a Delhi-Mumbai Air India Express plane cancelled take-off after an issue with screens displaying the aircraft’s speed.