Vizag-bound Air India flight called off at Vijayawada airport over technical snag

A Visakhapatnam-bound Air India flight was cancelled at Gannavaram Airport near Vijayawada on Thursday night after a technical issue was detected while the aircraft was taxiing, officials said.

The flight, which was scheduled to depart for Visakhapatnam, had not taken off when the problem was noticed. According to Vijayawada Airport Director Lakshmikanth Reddy, the aircraft was moving on the ground towards the runway when a suspected engine-related issue was identified. As a safety precaution, the aircraft was brought back to the parking bay, and the flight was subsequently cancelled around 8:30 pm.

Several prominent passengers were on board the flight, including former Vice-President M. Venkaiah Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Agriculture Minister K. Atchennaidu, and senior YSR Congress Party leader B. Satyanarayana. All passengers were safely deboarded, and no injuries or emergencies were reported.

In a separate statement, an Air India spokesperson confirmed that the technical issue was identified prior to departure. The airline said the decision to cancel the flight was taken in the interest of passenger safety. It was clarified that the aircraft did not become airborne, and there was no mid-air incident.

The airline further said that affected passengers were provided hotel accommodation and offered options including a full refund or complimentary rescheduling on another flight. Air India expressed regret over the inconvenience caused and reiterated that safety remains paramount in all its operations.

The airline has not disclosed specific details of the technical issue, which is standard procedure pending further engineering checks.