Recent incidents across India have highlighted a concerning trend of technical issues affecting aircraft. Flights are experiencing problems, leading to emergency landings and delays, causing significant inconvenience to passengers. A recent incident involved Air India flight AI 504, scheduled to depart from Kochi to Delhi. The flight was canceled due to a technical malfunction. Among the passengers on board was Member of Parliament Hibi Eden.
Both airport authorities and Air India confirmed the technical fault. A spokesperson for Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) stated that the issue was detected during the takeoff roll. Following standard procedures, the pilot immediately stopped the aircraft and returned it to the parking bay.
After the problem was identified, engineers at the airport inspected the aircraft and decided against allowing the flight to proceed. This decision prompted Air India to cancel the flight.
Lok Sabha MP Hibi Eden, who was on the flight, shared his experience on the social media platform X. He described an unusual situation where the aircraft seemed to skid on the runway before failing to take off. Air India canceled AI 504 and announced a new flight at 1 a.m., which still hadn’t started boarding, and stated this was the third flight that day to be grounded due to technical issues. The MP noted the long wait passengers endured after the cancellation.
Rajya Sabha MP J.B. Mathar, also a passenger, reported that the pilot announced the flight was not fit for takeoff. Mathar stated that passengers were informed they would be transferred to another aircraft, resulting in passenger frustration until approximately 1 a.m.
Following the cancellation, Air India issued an apology for the inconvenience, assuring that all passengers were safely deplaned. Ground staff provided assistance to the affected travelers. The exact number of passengers on the flight has not been officially released.