AI flight from San Francisco suffers engine trouble, deplanes all passengers at Kolkata

An Air India flight, AI180, traveling from San Francisco to Mumbai with a scheduled stopover in Kolkata, experienced a significant technical problem with one of its engines, forcing the airline to deplane all passengers during the scheduled halt at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning, causing considerable delay and confusion.

The flight, a Boeing 777-200LR, landed in Kolkata at 12:45 a.m. as scheduled. However, during a routine post-landing check, a snag was detected in the left engine, making it unsafe for the onward journey. Passengers were initially kept on board for several hours while ground engineers attempted to fix the issue.

At approximately 5:20 a.m., an announcement was made by the captain informing passengers that the problem could not be resolved and that all passengers would need to deplane. The decision was made "in the interest of flight safety," a move that was met with anxiety by many, especially given the backdrop of recent aviation incidents.

The deplaned passengers, numbering over 200, were then directed to a designated area. The airline provided food and accommodation, and some passengers were rebooked on alternative flights to Mumbai. The incident caused a great deal of frustration among travelers, with many having connecting flights from Mumbai.