In a series of setbacks for Air India, the flag carrier cancelled flight AI2491 from Mumbai to Lucknow on June 17, 2025 for “operational reasons” as cascading operations were affected by heavy rains in Delhi. Again, this cancellation is yet another in a repeated series of upwards of 80 cancelled flights since the deadly Air India crash in Ahmedabad on June 12 which killed over 270 passengers.
Air India stated the cause of the flight AI2491 cancellation was due to the burn wait of diversion flights with weather disruptions in Delhi. Air India clarified that the operating crew exceeded the regulatory duties time limitations and that replacement crews cannot be dispatched with the ongoing weather disruptions.
“AI2491 from Mumbai to Lucknow on 17 June 2025 was cancelled due to operational reasons and the cascading impact of flights which got diverted during the heavy rains in Delhi,” Air India said in its statement.
Passengers were offered full refunds or complimentary rescheduling, and hotel accommodations were provided for affected travellers. “Inconvenience caused to passengers is sincerely regretted,” a spokesperson stated, assuring that alternative arrangements are being made to transport passengers to Lucknow at the earliest.
Alongside AI2491, seven more international flights were cancelled on the same day. These included a San Francisco–Kolkata–Mumbai flight, which had to halt in Kolkata due to an engine snag in its Boeing 777-200 aircraft. Air India also cancelled its Ahmedabad to London Gatwick flight, citing a lack of available aircraft, as reported by PTI.
This wave of cancellations comes in the wake of the June 12 Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad, where the aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff en route to London. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has since launched a thorough investigation, directing Air India to submit the training records of pilots and dispatchers involved in that flight, registered as AI171.
ALSO READ: Ahmedabad Plane Crash: Over 800 Grams Of Gold, ₹80,000 Cash, And Passports Found
In response, the DGCA has stepped up inspections, grounding six additional Air India flights while checking for compliance with safety and maintenance regulations. While recent inspections on the Boeing 787 fleet did not reveal any major safety concerns, DGCA stressed the need for better internal coordination within the airline.
“DGCA raised concerns regarding recent maintenance-related issues reported by Air India,” the regulator stated, adding that the airline must improve coordination across engineering, operations, and ground handling, and ensure availability of spare parts to prevent delays.
The DGCA officials also had review meetings with both Air India and Air India Express, which operate over 1,000 flights per day collectively, to check on operational integrity and passenger service commitment.
The operational turbulence has exacerbated an already fraught environment for Air India, which has suffered reputational damage since its acquisition by the Tata group in 2022. The Ahmedabad crash is now the deadliest air disaster globally in the last decade and has put the airline’s safety record under a microscope and renewed questions about its systems.
While passengers are staring at countless cancellations and delays, Air India and the sector’s regulators are attempting to rebuild confidence in the airline’s operations, while they continue investigating more systemic issues that the two incidents have brought to the surface.
ALSO READ: Tamil Nadu ADGP Suspended After Arrest In Teen Abduction Case In Tiruvallur
