AI to cancel around 60 flights on India-US routes in Nov-Dec due to non-availability of aircraft
Mumbai, Oct 30: Non-availability of aircraft due to maintenance issues has forced Tata Group-owned Air India to cancel some 60 flights on the India-US routes between November and December this year, according to an airline source.
The flights, which have been cancelled during the peak travel period, include services to San Francisco and Chicago, among others, the source said.
Air India, in a statement, said it has cancelled a "small" number of flights between November and December on account of delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints, without naming the destinations.
It also said that affected customers have been "informed" and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days.
"Air India has cancelled some 60 flights to and from San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Newark and New York between November 15 and December 31, as it does not have adequate wide-body aircraft to operate some of the flights to these destinations," the sources told PTI.
As part of this, Air India has cancelled 14 flights on the Delhi-Chicago route, 28 flights on the Delhi-Washington route, 12 flights between the Delhi-SFO route, four flights on the Mumbai-New York route as well as two flights on the Delhi-Newark route, the sources said.
"Air India is facing delays in getting aircraft from the MRO operator it is sending to for maintenance. Then some of its wide-body planes are also grounded due to technical issues. This has resulted in the shortage of aircraft and consequently in flight cancellations," they added.
"Due to the delayed return of some aircraft from heavy maintenance and supply chain constraints resulting in a temporary reduction in operating fleet, Air India regrets that a small number of flights have been cancelled between now and end-December," an Air India spokesperson said.
Affected customers have been informed and offered flights on other Air India group services operating on the same or adjacent days, a free change to any other date or a full refund, the spokesperson said, adding, "Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused by this constraint beyond our control".
Air India currently operates five flights between Delhi and Washington, while Delhi-JFK (New York) and Mumbai-JFK routes have seven flights per week. On the Delhi-Chicago route also, the airline operates seven flights per week.
Air India operates flights to San Francisco from three destinations -- Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Of this, Air India operates 11 flights per week, including one daily service on the Delhi-SFO route, while from Mumbai and Bangalore, it operates four flights per week.
Besides, Air India also operates three flights per week to Newark from Delhi and Mumbai.
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Bihar: Over 150 children fall ill after consuming 'mid-day meal' in Saharsa
Saharsa (PTI): More than 150 children were taken ill after allegedly consuming food that was part of the mid-day meal in a school in Bihar’s Saharsa district, a senior official said on Thursday.
The incident occurred at a middle school in Baluaha village of the district.
The official said that 115 children were undergoing treatment at the Sadar Hospital, while around 50 students were admitted to Mahishi Public Health Centre.
“We received information that several children fell ill after consuming the mid-day meal in Baluaha. The children were initially treated at the primary health centre, but later, many were referred to the Sadar Hospital,” Saharsa District Magistrate Deepesh Kumar told reporters.
“According to doctors, the health condition of the children has improved, but they will be kept under observation for some time. There is no need to panic. Some kids are having mild fever. They are being treated accordingly,” Kumar said.
Meanwhile, family members of some children claimed that a snake was found in the container in which cooked pulses was stored at the school.
Of the 545 students present in the school, 200 had already eaten their meals by the time the snake was spotted, and later complained of stomach ache and vomiting, they said.
Regarding the claims, the DM said food samples have been collected from the school.
“We will be able to comment on this only after the results of the tested samples arrive,” he said.
