: An Air India international flight enroute from San Francisco to Bengaluru was grounded and eventually cancelled at Kolkata Airport on October 5 after a technical snag was detected during a routine transit stop. The aircraft, flight AI-176, had landed at Kolkata at 4:21 AM for refuelling and was scheduled to depart for Bengaluru shortly after.
According to airport sources, the Boeing 777 aircraft (registration VT-ALX) developed a technical issue while parked at Bay No. 115. The issue could not be resolved in time, and at around 7:35 AM, the airline officially declared the aircraft AOG (Aircraft on Ground), leading to the cancellation of the flight.
The flight was carrying 260 passengers and 20 crew members. All passengers were safely offloaded and taken to the international arrival hall to complete immigration and customs formalities. By 8:30 AM, they were moved to the baggage reclaim area, where the airline arranged hotel accommodation.
Air India stated that all affected passengers were provided with immediate assistance, including refreshments and transportation. Some passengers were rebooked on other flights as per their individual travel needs. Others were given the option of a full refund or complimentary rescheduling. This incident adds to ongoing operational challenges faced by Air India, with similar technical issues reported in the past months. While no safety threat was posed, the disruption caused delays and inconvenience to passengers.