Snag On Air India Delhi-US Flight, It Is Cancelled During Fuel Stop In Vienna

An Air India flight from Delhi to Washington was halted at Vienna and cancelled subsequently after an "extended maintenance task" was identified during refueling in the Austrian capital, an airline spokesperson said on Thursday.

Flight AI 103, which took off at 12.45am on Wednesday and was scheduled to reach Washington at 8.45pm on Thursday, was cancelled in Vienna and all the passengers were rebooked on alternative flights to Delhi. 

Alternatively, the passengers were offered full refunds based on their preferences, an airline spokesperson said.

The developments, according to the spokesperson, came as the aircraft made a "planned fuel stop" in Vienna. 

"During routine aircraft checks, an extended maintenance task was identified, which required rectification before the next flight and, thus, additional time for completion," the spokesperson said.

"Due to this, the Vienna to Washington, DC leg was cancelled, and passengers were disembarked... Consequently, flight AI104 from Washington, DC to Delhi via Vienna was also cancelled, and the affected passengers have been rebooked on alternative flights to Delhi or offered full refunds based on their preferences," the spokesperson added.

On June 14, a Vienna-bound Air India flight lost altitude soon after it took off from Delhi - the plane dropped 900 feet mid-air. Both pilots have now been off-rostered pending the outcome of the investigation, the airline said. The incident happened two days after a London-bound Air India plane crashed seconds after it took off from Ahmedabad airport.