Milan: The festive travel plans of more than 250 passengers were disrupted after an Air India Dreamliner flight from Milan to Delhi was cancelled due to a technical snag on Friday. The affected flight, AI 138, was grounded after engineers detected an issue with the Boeing 787 aircraft, forcing the airline to halt operations and prioritise safety.

According to Air India, the cancellation was due to “an extended technical requirement” on the aircraft that was supposed to operate the Delhi-bound service. The airline said all passengers were provided with hotel accommodation, although due to limited local availability, some were housed outside the immediate airport area.

The Boeing 787, registered as VT-ANN, had earlier departed Delhi as AI 137 at 2.54 pm on October 17 and landed in Milan after a nine-hour journey that bypassed Pakistani airspace. Upon arrival, a technical fault was identified that could not be resolved in time for the return leg to India.

Passengers have been rebooked on alternative flights on or after October 20, depending on seat availability. Air India confirmed that one passenger, whose Schengen visa expires on October 20, has been rebooked on another airline’s service departing Milan on October 19 to ensure compliance with visa regulations.

The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience, stating that it “continues to provide all necessary ground assistance, including meals,” and reaffirmed its “commitment to the safety and well-being of passengers and crew.”

Air India’s ageing wide-body fleet, especially the Dreamliners, has been under scrutiny for reliability issues. In a recent incident, another Boeing 787 faced a technical fault involving the automatic deployment of its ram air turbine before landing in the UK, prompting India’s aviation regulator DGCA to seek details from Boeing.

Air India’s Milan-Delhi flight, carrying 255 passengers and more than 10 crew members, was cancelled on Friday after a technical fault was detected in its Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The airline said the decision to cancel the service was taken to ensure passenger safety.

In a statement, the airline said, “AI 138 from Milan to Delhi on October 17 was cancelled due to an extended technical requirement on the aircraft scheduled to operate the flight, prioritising the safety of all passengers and crew. All affected passengers have been provided hotel accommodations.”

Due to high demand in Milan, some passengers were lodged in hotels outside the airport area. Passengers will now be flown home on available flights between October 20 and 21. One traveller with a Schengen visa expiring on October 20 was accommodated on another airline departing on October 19.

Air India added that it is “providing meals and other ground support” to passengers while reaffirming its commitment to safety.

The affected aircraft, VT-ANN, had taken off from Delhi as AI 137 and reached Milan after nearly nine hours. Technical teams discovered the issue upon landing, which could not be fixed in time for the return flight.

This incident adds to ongoing challenges with Air India’s older wide-body fleet. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently requested details from Boeing after another Air India Dreamliner reported an automatic deployment of its ram air turbine before landing in the UK earlier this month.