Air India terminates Delhi-Washington flight in Vienna, cancels return flight
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI): An Air India flight from Delhi to Washington, which took off on July 2, could not complete its journey after it developed a technical glitch during a scheduled refuelling stopover in Vienna, the Tata Group-owned airline said on Thursday.
Consequently, its return flight from Washington to Delhi, scheduled on July 2, was also cancelled.
Of late, frequent delays and cancellations of long-haul flights by Air India have been causing severe inconvenience to passengers.
According to Air India statement, "Flight AI103 from Delhi to Washington, D.C. on July 2 made a planned fuel stop in Vienna. During routine aircraft checks, an extended maintenance task was identified, which required rectification before the next flight and, thus, additional time for completion."
The airline further said as Vienna to Washington leg was cancelled, alternative arrangements were made for the stranded passengers.
Passengers eligible for visa-free entry or those with valid Schengen visas were provided hotel accommodations in Vienna until the next available flight, as per the airline.
For passengers without Schengen visas, accommodation was arranged, in liaison with immigration and security clearances by Austrian authorities, while others were rebooked on alternative flights, Air India said in the statement.
The airline said the passengers of the Washington-Delhi flight AI104 via Vienna were also rebooked on alternative flights to Delhi or offered full refunds based on their preferences.
Due to the closure of Pakistan airspace, west-bound flights from India are taking a longer route, requiring a halt in Vienna to meet crew duty and rest period norms.
Following an Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, in which over 250 people were killed onboard and on the ground, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered enhanced safety inspection of the airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet powered by GEnx engines.
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UP Cong chief Ajay Rai hospitalised after fainting, stable
Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai was hospitalised here after he fell unconscious due to low sodium levels, party leaders said on Saturday.
They said he was admitted to Medanta Hospital on Friday evening and is stable.
"Ajay Rai was admitted to Medanta Hospital in Lucknow at around 6 pm on Friday after he fell unconscious as his sodium levels had dropped. He fell unconscious at his residence in Lucknow. For the entire day, he was engaged in party programmes and had also gone to the airport," Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi told PTI.
Congress in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Avinash Pande told PTI, "Now, he (Ajay Rai) is stable and I am also reaching Lucknow."
Medanta Hospital Director Dr Rakesh Kapoor told PTI that Rai collapsed at his home on Friday evening and was subsequently admitted to the hospital's emergency ward.
Medical examinations revealed that Rai was suffering from a sodium deficiency and elevated blood pressure. Doctors administered immediate treatment and he is doing significantly better now, Kapoor said.
A team of doctors is monitoring his health. Rai is conversing with others and his condition is stable, he added.
In a post on X late Friday night, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wished Rai a speedy recovery.
Rai hails from Varanasi and had contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections against Modi from the parliamentary constituency. The Congress appointed him as the Uttar Pradesh unit chief in 2023.
