A Bangkok-bound Air India flight from Mumbai was held back for over five hours on June 25 after some hay was found trapped in one of the aircraft's wings.
Air India stated in a statement that the problem was promptly addressed and the aircraft was subsequently cleared for operation.
According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, Air India flight AI 2354, operated by an Airbus A320Neo plane, was originally scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 7:45 am. However, the departure was delayed by over five hours, with the flight taking off around 1:00 pm.
Details such as the number of passengers and crew on board, the type of aircraft, the scheduled time of departure and the duration for which the passengers remained stranded at the Mumbai airport, was not shared by airlines.
“AI2354 scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Bangkok on 25 June 2025 was held back as some hay was found stuck below the left wing of the operating aircraft,” Air India said in a statement on Friday.
The flight could not depart immediately as the flight crew came under the regulatory flight duty time limitations, the airline added.
They also stated that the source of the hay (getting below the wing) could not be identified.
The service provider responsible for handling the aircraft at Mumbai airport had been instructed to investigate the matter, which had been duly reported to the safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Air India said in the statement.
The passengers were disembarked and served refreshments, and the flight departed as soon as a fresh set of flight crew reported, the airline added.
The incident occurred just days after the DGCA uncovered multiple violations involving airlines, airports, aircraft maintenance, and recurring defects during its surveillance operation at major airports.
This inspection was conducted within two weeks of the June 12 Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The regulator, without disclosing names of the airlines, airports and other entities in relation to the defects said on Tuesday that the surveillance covered multiple critical areas such as flight operations, airworthiness, ramp safety, Air Traffic Control (ATC), Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) systems, and pre-flight medical evaluations.
The surveillance was done last week and the DGCA is stepping up efforts to strengthen the overall safety oversight of the aviation ecosystem.
