Air India Delhi to Zurich flight delayed due to mandatory Boeing 787-8 checks, arrives close to night curfew

An Air India flight from Delhi to Zurich was delayed on Sunday due to mandatory checks on Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which led to the flight arriving in Switzerland very late, close to the night curfew.

The delay was not due to any technical issue but the mandatory checks ordered by government, sources told PTI.

Just a day after the deadly Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad which killed 241 people on board, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directed the Tata Group airline to conduct immediate checks on its fleet of Boeing 787-8/9.

Air India flight to Delhi diverted

Earlier in the day, in a separate incident, an Air India flight, which was supposed to land in Delhi, was diverted back to Hong Kong after the pilot suspected a technical issue mid-air.

Both the incidents come less than a week after the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad on Thursday, June 12.

Air India plane crash

As many as 270 people, including the Boeing-Dreamliner's flyers, MBBS students, a PG resident doctor died after the Air India flight lost height and smashed into BJ Medical College Hostel's mess.

Gujarat ex-CM Vijay Rupani who was aboard the flight, was also killed. All people on the flight were killed except for one, who was seated on 11A during the time of the crash.

DNA testing underway; 119 victims identified

Authorities are carrying out DNA tests to establish the identity of the victims as many bodies were charred beyond recognition or damaged.

As of Monday, 119 victims have so far been identified through DNA matching and 76 bodies, including that of former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani, were handed over to their families, officials said.

"Till Monday evening, 119 DNA samples have been matched, and 76 bodies have already been handed over to the respective families. These deceased were from different parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan," Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Dr Rakesh Joshi told reporters.

A high-level meeting on civil aviation security, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, is set to take place on June 17 in the wake of the recent Air India plane crash, reported ANI.