Air India flight to Delhi aborts takeoff at Kochi airport after technical snag

The Delhi-bound service was being operated with an Airbus A321, according to flight tracking data.

An Air India flight bound for Delhi had to abort takeoff at Kochi airport late Sunday evening after a technical glitch was detected during the roll, airport officials said.

Flight AI 504, scheduled to depart late evening, returned to the bay after pilots discontinued takeoff in line with safety protocols.

The aircraft was declared unfit for travel, and a replacement jet was arranged, according to Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL).

The flight was rescheduled to depart at 1 am on Monday.

“A technical issue caused the Air India flight to abort takeoff. The airline has informed us that they are changing the aircraft. The revised departure time is 0100 hrs,” a CIAL spokesperson said.

Air India also confirmed the incident later, stating that the cockpit crew acted in accordance with standard operating procedures.

“All passengers have disembarked and our ground teams in Kochi are extending support,” an airline spokesperson said, while expressing regret over the disruption.

Congress MPs Hibi Eden and Jebi Mather, who were on board, posted about the incident on social media. Eden wrote on Facebook that the aircraft “felt like it skidded on the runway,” while Mather said the pilot later announced the plane could not be used and passengers would be shifted to another aircraft.

The Delhi-bound service was being operated with an Airbus A321, according to flight tracking data.

The exact number of passengers on board has not been disclosed yet.

The episode adds to the recent slew of technical issues reported by the airline.

On August 16, Air India cancelled its Milan–Delhi flight after a last-minute maintenance problem, while earlier this month, a Bhubaneswar–Delhi service was called off due to high cabin temperature. Earlier, on July 31, a Boeing 787-9 aircraft bound for London had also aborted takeoff at Delhi airport.