A late-night Air India flight at Kochi Airport in Kerala experienced a malfunction before takeoff, resulting in the cancellation of flight AI504 from Kochi to Delhi. The aircraft has been sent for inspection. Hibi Eden, the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Ernakulam, was among the passengers on board. Eden reported feeling something unusual, describing a sensation as if the plane was skidding on the runway.
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, flight AI504 was scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A321 aircraft. The Kochi Airport Authority stated that arrangements are being made to transfer passengers to another flight. The airport authority explained that the flight was cancelled after a technical malfunction was detected in the aircraft. Subsequently, the flight crew's duty time also expired, making takeoff unsafe and against regulations. Air India has apologised to the passengers on board for the flight cancellation.
Earlier, on 3 August, two other Air India flights were cancelled due to technical malfunctions. Flight AI349, scheduled to fly from Singapore to Chennai on 3 August, was cancelled citing maintenance issues. Similarly, a flight from Bhubaneswar to Delhi was also cancelled a few days prior due to a technical problem.
