Air India has announced a temporary reduction in its international flights, trimming 15% of its long-range services. This decision follows the crash of Air India Flight 171, where a Boeing 787 Dreamliner went down shortly after takeoff, resulting in at least 280 fatalities. The airline will allow affected passengers to change their flights without charge or opt for a full refund.
The ongoing investigation into the incident is concentrating on potential technical issues with the aircraft. Authorities suspect a catastrophic fault may have caused the plane to glide into the ground with no apparent thrust. Consequently, Indian authorities have mandated inspections for all Boeing 787s equipped with GEnx engines within the country. Air India operates as India's sole carrier of these models and has also decided to inspect its Boeing 777 fleet voluntarily.
"Indian authorities have ordered immediate inspections of all Boeing 787s equipped with the GEnx engine registered in the nation," an Air India spokesperson stated. Although these checks are taking numerous planes out of service, initial findings have not uncovered any anomalies.