Air India encountered disruptions on Wednesday as three international flights were cancelled due to maintenance, technical issues, and safety concerns related to a volcanic eruption near Bali. Two of the cancellations happened after passengers had already boarded, the airline confirmed.

Flight AI188 from Toronto to Delhi was cancelled due to extended maintenance, leading the crew to exceed flight duty time limitations. Passengers who had already boarded were asked to deplane. Similarly, flight AI996 from Dubai to Delhi was cancelled for technical reasons, with passengers also deboarding after boarding. The Delhi-Bali flight AI2145 had to return mid-air due to reports of volcanic activity near Bali airport. The aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and all passengers were deboarded.

Air India mentioned that ground teams are working to rebook passengers promptly, offering full refunds or complimentary rescheduling. The airline expects further disruptions due to increased checks on its Boeing 787 fleet, ongoing airspace restrictions, and adverse weather conditions. This follows the June 13 crash of a B787-8 in Ahmedabad, resulting in 241 fatalities, prompting India’s aviation regulator to enhance supervision.

Between June 12 and 17, Air India cancelled 66 scheduled Boeing 787-operated flights citing technical issues. Following an evaluation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) advised Air India to enhance internal coordination among engineering, operations, and ground services, and ensure spare parts availability to prevent delays.

However, DGCA mentioned that recent surveillance of Air India’s Boeing 787 fleet did not uncover any major safety issues and found the aircraft and maintenance systems to be compliant with existing safety standards.