Mumbai Airport: Hay-entangled Air India flight delayed for 5 hours

National National

Posted by AI on 2025-06-27 14:06:13 | Last Updated by AI on 2025-06-27 12:21:13

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Flight AI-2354's departure from Mumbai was delayed from 4 pm to 9 pm due to hay encountered during pre-flight checks. The flight, destined for Bangkok, had already been rescheduled from the previous day due to technical issues.

The flight, which was scheduled to depart for Bangkok at 4 pm, was delayed by five hours after hay was found attached to the exterior of the left wing of the aircraft carrying the 142 passengers. Following the discovery, engineers immediately attended to the aircraft to remove the hay and carry out checks to ensure that the flight could resume. The Boeing 787 aircraft, which had already been relocated from the runway to the taxiway due to a technical fault the previous day, was finally given the go-ahead to take off at 9 pm.

Air India, in a statement, expressed its regret for the delay, stating that the safety of passengers and staff remains the utmost priority, and that any delays are undertaken solely to ensure a safe journey for all.

The incident has prompted discussions on airport safety protocols, and the possible repercussions of objects coming into close proximity to, or attaching themselves to, aircraft during pre-flight readiness. Some have called for more stringent checks, while others argue that more awareness and stricter enforcement of existing regulations are needed.

Ultimately, the fate of Flight AI-354 was determined by a seemingly innocuous encounter with hay, highlighting the need for rigorous pre-flight checks and stricter adherence to safety protocols.

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