Air India Cancels Bhubaneswar-Delhi Flight Due to ‘High Cabin Temperature’
This marked Air India’s second technical issue of the day, following the cancellation of flight AI349 from Singapore to Chennai owing to a pre-boarding maintenance problem.
Air India cancelled a Delhi-bound flight from Bhubaneswar on Sunday after a technical issue led to abnormally high temperatures inside the cabin prior to take-off. The airline mentioned that the step was taken in the interest of passenger safety.
The flight, AI500, was slated to depart from Bhubaneswar at 12:35 pm and reach Delhi by 2:55 pm.
As per the flight tracking website Flightradar24, the service was scheduled to be operated by an Airbus A321 aircraft. However, the airline neither confirmed the aircraft model nor shared the number of passengers impacted.
In an official statement, Air India stated, “Flight AI500 scheduled to operate from Bhubaneswar to Delhi on August 3 has been cancelled owing to a technical snag causing elevated cabin temperatures on the ground before departure.”
The airline further mentioned that its team at Bhubaneswar airport was assisting affected passengers with alternative travel arrangements.
This became the second technical glitch reported by Air India on the same day. Earlier, the carrier had called off flight AI349 from Singapore to Chennai due to a maintenance issue detected before boarding.
These incidents come even as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) continues to keep a close watch on Air India’s safety procedures. A recent audit by the aviation regulator pointed out nearly 100 breaches and safety lapses, including problems linked to pilot training, crew duty schedules, and airfield clearances. Of these, seven were labelled as Level-1 violations—considered serious and requiring immediate rectification.
Adding to the airline’s ongoing challenges, Air India remains under intense scrutiny following a deadly crash in June involving a Boeing 787-8 aircraft en route to London Gatwick. The aircraft crashed shortly after take-off, resulting in the deaths of 241 passengers on board and 19 individuals on the ground.
Public concern about aviation safety in India appears to be increasing. A recent survey by LocalCircles revealed that 76% of respondents believed airlines were prioritising advertising over safety. Around 64% said they had encountered at least one problematic flight experience in the past three years.
