Lucknow: An Air India Express flight from Lucknow to Hyderabad was declared ‘unfit to fly’ minutes before boarding was to start on Sunday morning, it has now come to be known. Officials said that the pilots detected a technical snag, following which the flight was cancelled.
Maintenance crews have been deployed to inspect the aircraft, which continues to remain grounded at the airport.
“Air India (AI) Express’ Flight IX 2816, a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, was scheduled to take off from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at 8.40 am. However, just as the boarding gates were about to open, passengers were informed of a sudden cancellation, citing safety concerns raised by the pilot,” an official said.
The aircraft landed in Lucknow earlier in the morning from Hyderabad, arriving ahead of schedule. It was meant to return to Hyderabad and continue onward to multiple destinations, including Goa, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.
“The pilot reported a potential technical fault during pre-departure checks, and the aircraft was immediately declared unfit to fly,” the official said.
After the cancellation was announced, Air India offered the 150 affected passengers options to either reschedule their travel or claim a full refund. Accommodation was also arranged for those opting to wait for alternate flights.
The Boeing 737, registered as VT-BWP, is a comparatively new aircraft. It was delivered to Air India Express in 2019, sources said. Engineers are currently working to identify and rectify the fault, though no timeline has been set for its return to service.