New Delhi [India], October 19 (ANI): Air India will operate an additional flight from Milan to Delhi today to accommodate passengers of flight AI138, which was cancelled on October 17 due to a technical issue.

The special flight aims to bring back 256 passengers who have been stranded in Milan since last Friday. The airline's Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) had earlier encountered a technical problem upon landing in Milan, which prevented it from operating the return journey to Delhi. The affected passengers were returning home for Diwali and were left stranded due to the disruption.

In a post on X, Air India said, 'Flight AI138D will depart from Milan at 1900 hrs (local time) and arrive in Delhi on the morning of 20 October.'

https://x.com/airindia/status/1979838919773675809

The airline added that it has extended all immediate assistance to affected passengers, including hotel accommodation and meals. 'Full refunds or complimentary rescheduling were also offered as per passenger preference,' it said.

The carrier reaffirmed its commitment, stating, 'We remain committed to extending support and assistance to our passengers at every step.'

The cancellation of flight AI138 on 17 October follows a similar incident on August 16 this year, when an Air India Milan-Delhi flight was cancelled due to a technical issue detected during pushback.

According to the carrier, a maintenance task was identified just as the aircraft was preparing for departure, and the operating crew subsequently came under mandatory flight duty time limitation norms, making it unsafe and impermissible for them to continue.

'Flight AI138 operating from Milan to Delhi on 16 August was cancelled due to a maintenance task identified during pushback, and subsequently due to the crew coming under the mandatory flight duty time limitation norms,' a spokesperson with Air India said in a statement.

The spokesperson added, 'Air India sincerely regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to this unforeseen cancellation. Our ground team in Milan extended immediate assistance to all affected passengers, providing hotel accommodation and offering full refunds on cancellation or complimentary rescheduling as opted by the passengers.'

The airline said that alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to Delhi at the earliest opportunity. 'Alternative arrangements are being made to fly the passengers to their destination at the earliest. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers and crew remain top priority,' the spokesperson said.

Earlier on August 3, two Air India flights were also cancelled due to technical reasons. Flight AI349, scheduled to operate from Singapore to Chennai on Sunday, August 3, was cancelled due to a maintenance task identified prior to departure, which required additional time for rectification.

Another flight, AI500, scheduled to operate from Bhubaneswar to Delhi on August 3, was cancelled due to a technical issue that caused a high cabin temperature on the ground before departure. (ANI)