Ahmedabad/IBNS: Air India flight from Ahmedabad to London was on Tuesday cancelled due to the unavailability of aircraft, media reports said.

"Flight AI159 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick has been cancelled today due to the unavailability of the aircraft, resulting from airspace restrictions and additional precautionary checks, leading to longer than usual turnaround of aircraft, and not due to any technical snag as claimed," the airline said as quoted by several media.

"We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers and have made alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination. We are providing hotel accommodation and also offering full refunds on cancellations or complimentary rescheduling if opted by the passengers. Consequently, flight AI170 from London Gatwick to Amritsar of 17 June stands cancelled."

AI 159 was rescheduled for a takeoff from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 3 pm.

A Mumbai-bound Air India flight from San Francisco was halted at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata in the early hours on Tuesday due to technical snag.

The flight, which was halted in Kolkata at 5:20 am, had suffered a technical snag in one of its engines.

All passengers were deplaned safely.

The decision was taken in the interest of flight safety, the captain of the flight said.

On Monday, a Delhi-bound Air India flight from Hong Kong returned soon after takeoff due to technical glitch.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner made a return when the pilot of AI315 aircraft suspected a technical issue.

The aircraft returned as a precautionary measure, the airline said.

These take place days after a London-bound Air India Boeing Dreamliner flight crashed soon after takeoff near the Ahmedabad airport killing 279 people including on-ground people.

241 out of 242 onboard passengers and crew members were killed in the crash, which is one of the country's worst aviation tragedies.

One person, the passenger of seat No. 11A,  survived the crash miraculously.

Need to do extended surveillance into Boeing 787 Series, says Civil Aviation Minister

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has acknowledged the need for an "extended surveillance into Boeing 787 Series" aircraft in the aftermath of the plane crash that killed 279 including on-ground people.

Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already given its order for "extended surveillance for the 787 planes".

"We have very strict safety standards in the country...When the incident happened, we also felt that there is a need to do an extended surveillance into the Boeing 787 Series. DGCA has also given an order to do the extended surveillance for the 787 planes.

"There are 34 in our Indian aircraft fleet today. I believe that 8 have already been inspected and with immediate urgency, all of them are going to be done...," the minister said.