Air India cancels 6 international flights amid extensive Boeing 787 checks after fatal AI171 crash

Air India has cancelled six international flights, all Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, on Tuesday as the airline initiates major scrutiny of its Boeing aircraft following the fatal crash of flight AI171 on June 12, 2025, in Ahmedabad.

Media reports suggest the cancelled flights are: AI 153 (Delhi-Vienna), AI 915 (Delhi-Dubai), AI 159 (Ahmedabad-London), AI 143 (Delhi-Paris), AI 170 (London-Amritsar), and AI 133 (Bengaluru-London). Additionally, a Delhi-bound flight, AI 315, had to return to Hong Kong following a technical snag.

"Due to inclement weather conditions in Delhi, our flight operations are getting impacted with some diversions. Please check your flight status before heading to the airport..." Air India said in a statement on X.

The airline has cited various reasons for the cancellation of these flights, ranging from technical snags to additional precautionary checks.

The number of flight cancellations comes as the Tata Group airline conducts extensive precautionary safety checks on its entire Boeing 787 fleet as directed by the DGCA. The government has stated that all aspects of the crash will be analysed from all possible angles by a high-level committee, which will conduct the investigation. A five-member AAIB team is investigating the crash and has recovered the "black box" from the site.

Additionally, the tragic plane crash of Air India Flight 171, in which 241 people perished, has also triggered one of the largest insurance claims in aviation history. According to estimates by Bloomberg, the total claims could amount to a whopping $475 million, or approximately ₹3,966.25 crore, of which the claim for the aircraft's hull and engine could amount to around $125 million, while additional liability claims, such as loss of life and other losses, could take up to $350 million.

Yesterday, June 16, N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Air India and Tata Sons, described the plane crash as 'most heartbreaking' in an Air India town hall. "Criticisms are there, and those of us who are very passionate, who are emotional, who give our best to the job that we perform, who are working on making this airline a great airline, and who genuinely care about what kind of a company we want to build, but it's not easy to face criticisms," he had said.

Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson has announced immediate financial support of ₹25 lakh, or around 21,000 British pounds, to each of the families of the deceased and also to the survivor of the crash, which is in addition to the ₹1 crore, or around 85,000 British pounds, committed by Tata Sons.