An Air India flight bound for Vancouver returned to Delhi after being airborne for seven hours due to an aircraft approval error. The Boeing 777-200 LR was not approved for the route, leading to the flight's return and subsequent rescheduling.
Last October, the national carrier sold five planes of the same type to Etihad Airways for about $350 million.
To reconfigure some of these to all-economy class and ply to Gulf and North America.
US aircraft major Boeing on Thursday showcased its new generation B-777-200 LR (long range) plane in New Delhi.
At present, it operates A380 on the Delhi and Mumbai routes.
At present, Air India offers eight first class, 35 business class and 195 economy class seats in its Boeing 777 200-LRs.
Air India's fourth Boeing 777-200LR, scheduled for delivery in the second week of December, has not reached the airline. A shortage of commanders for the new generation aircraft will probably delay it further.
Delta said the airline will operate a Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft with a three-class configuration on the route and will offer passengers wi-fi connectivity and free mobile messaging.
The termination led to chaotic scenes at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport as the 211 passengers on the Boeing 777-200 LR tried to convince officials to let them reach their destination at the earliest.
The 16-hour flight will be the first direct one from India to the US west coast.
Air India offers huge discount on tickets.
In the largest such order, UAE's flagship Emirates Airline on Monday announced an order of 42 Boeing 777 aircraft, to be powered by GE90 jet engines, in a deal worth $9.7 billion.
To sell five Boeing 777s, replacing these with cheaper aircraft
Flight AI173 from Delhi was diverted to Magadan in Russia on Tuesday owing to an engine glitch, the Tata Group-owned private carrier said in a statement last evening.
While Air India cancelled six international flights due to aviation regulator DGCA subjecting its Dreamliner fleet to enhanced checks, the Ahmedabad-London Gatwick one was cancelled due to unavailability of aircraft, the airline said.
Air India on Monday said it will lease 12 more aircraft comprising both A320 neo and Boeing 777, which are expected to be inducted in its existing fleet in the first half of 2023. The new planes will be deployed on the airline's short, medium and long-haul international routes, Air India said in a statement. Air India said it has leased 42 aircraft since its privatisation in January this year.
The Air India board has cleared a proposal for sending its pilots on deputation to its budget arm, Air India Express, which has been facing shortage of commanders for some time now.
As AI-176 landed at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru and the crew members walked to the lounge, a huge crowd of people gave a rousing reception for scripting history with the about 17-hour journey, the longest flight by the national carrier or any other airline in the country.
Air India has positioned its fares on par with airlines offering one-stop services to US.
The new owner may be allowed to dispose of assets accruing from the 10-26 per cent of the net assets of the company.
The flight, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew, landed safely, the Tata Group-owned private carrier said in a statement Tuesday evening.
Air India stares at an operational loss of Rs 2,171 crore in 2014-15.
The world's 10 longest non-stop flights criss-cross the world, cutting down travel time and making journeys easier and comfortable.
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