Why Are Air India Flights Facing Delays?
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New Delhi, Nov 5 (NationPress) Air India has issued a notification to its travelers regarding delays in the departure of certain flights due to a third-party connectivity network issue that has disrupted check-in systems at several airports.
The airline, part of the Tata Group, confirmed that the system has now been restored. However, passengers should expect that some flights may still experience delays as operations gradually return to normal, according to an official statement.
"We encourage passengers traveling with us today to check their flight status at https://airindia.com/in/en/manage/flight-status.html before arriving at the airport and to allocate extra time for their journey," the statement read.
In a related incident, Air India announced on Tuesday that it is conducting a relief flight to transport passengers from a San Francisco-Delhi flight that was diverted to Mongolia due to a suspected technical issue.
On November 2, Air India flight AI174, which was en route from San Francisco to Delhi with a stop in Kolkata, made a precautionary landing in Ulaanbaatar after the crew noted a potential technical problem during the flight.
The airline stated that it is cooperating with local authorities and the Indian Embassy in Mongolia to assist passengers and crew, including providing hotel accommodations.
"Passengers have been kept updated regarding the arrangements to fly them back to Delhi. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew is our utmost priority," an Air India representative remarked.
The airline previously indicated that the aircraft landed safely in Ulaanbaatar and is undergoing the necessary inspections.
Additionally, Air India has received a temporary extension for flight duty time for its two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operating on European routes, which have been affected due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, as announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week.
This extension was granted based on operational necessities, given that flights on European routes now have to take longer paths following Pakistan's airspace shutdown. For two-pilot Boeing 787 operations, the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) has been extended to 10 hours and 30 minutes from 10 hours, and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) has been increased to 14 hours from 13.