Air India warns of potential route disruptions after engine damage at Delhi airport

Air India warned of potential disruptions on some routes operated by its Airbus A350 aircraft after one of the jets sustained engine damage following a landing at New Delhi airport on Thursday.

The airline said the aircraft encountered a foreign object while taxiing in dense fog conditions.

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, later said the damage was caused by a stray cargo container that had toppled from a vehicle and landed on one of the airport’s taxiways.

“Further investigation is being carried out,” the DGCA said in a statement.

Images shared by the regulator showed visible damage to the inside of the engine’s air intake area.

Air India currently operates six A350 aircraft on long-haul routes including services between New Delhi and London, New York and Newark. These routes are also served by the carrier’s older Boeing aircraft.

“The aircraft is currently grounded for a thorough investigation and necessary repairs, which may cause potential disruptions on select A350 routes,” Air India said, without specifying which services could be affected.

The aircraft had been scheduled to operate a flight to New York but returned to New Delhi after Iran temporarily closed its airspace, affecting the planned route.

The DGCA said the incident occurred at 5:25 am local time after the aircraft had landed back in the Indian capital.

Iran has since reopened its airspace following a closure of nearly five hours that led airlines to cancel, reroute or delay flights amid concerns over possible military action involving the US and Iran.