Is Air India Sending a Relief Flight to Rescue Passengers Stuck in Mongolia?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
New Delhi, Nov 4 (NationPress) - On Tuesday, Air India announced its plans to operate a relief flight aimed at transporting passengers from the San Francisco-Delhi flight that was rerouted to Mongolia due to a potential technical issue.
The Air India flight AI174, which was en route from San Francisco to Delhi with a stopover in Kolkata on November 2, made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after the flight crew raised concerns about a technical problem during the journey.
According to a recent statement from the airline, "Air India will be operating a relief flight to transport passengers of flight AI174 (San Francisco-Delhi on November 2), which was diverted to Ulaanbaatar on Monday. The ferry flight AI183 is scheduled to leave from Delhi this afternoon and will return with the affected passengers on Wednesday morning."
Additionally, Air India mentioned that they have been collaborating with local authorities and the Indian Embassy in Mongolia to ensure the well-being of both passengers and crew, including arranging hotel accommodations.
"We have kept our guests updated about the plans being made to facilitate their return to Delhi. At Air India, the safety and welfare of our passengers and crew remain our utmost priority," stated an Air India representative.
Previously, the airline noted that the aircraft landed safely in Ulaanbaatar and is currently undergoing the necessary inspections.
Meanwhile, Air India has received a temporary extension for flight duty time for its two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operating on European routes. This decision was made following the closure of Pakistani airspace, as stated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last week.
This extension was based on operational considerations related to the longer flight paths that the European routes must now take due to the airspace shutdown in Pakistan, according to the aviation regulator.
For two-pilot Boeing 787 operations, the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) has been increased from 10 hours to 10 hours and 30 minutes, while the Flight Duty Period (FDP) has been raised from 13 hours to 14 hours.