Air India had a rough morning in the fog on Thursday, January 15, 2026. What was supposed to be a standard flight to New York (AI101) turned into a multi-layered nightmare.
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The thing is, the flight actually took off at 2:00 AM but had to turn back mid-air because Iran suddenly closed its airspace. Or nothing. Let’s be real, you can’t fly a New York-bound A350 without that route. Those too. But the real disaster happened after the plane landed back at Delhi’s IGI Airport. While taxiing in pea-soup fog, the plane’s right engine (Engine No. 2) literally sucked in a cargo container. It’s an ongoing situation where the DGCA is now investigating how an “unsecured” container was even on the taxiway.
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The “AI101 Engine Ingestion” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where one of Air India’s few flagship A350s is now grounded with “substantial damage.”
The Culprit: Preliminary notes suggest a cargo tractor from Bird Worldwide Flight Services (BWFS) was crossing an intersection. The thing is, one of the containers toppled off the tractor and right into the path of the massive Trent XWB engine.
Visibility was Zero: At 5:25 AM, the Palam area was under a dense fog alert. The thing is, the pilots probably never saw the container until it was already being shredded. And here’s the kicker—this is the second Air India scare today; another flight to Singapore had to return earlier due to an APU fire warning.
The Fleet Crunch: Air India only has six A350s. The thing is, with one grounded for a “thorough investigation,” expect a domino effect of delays on the London, New York, and Newark routes.
Passenger Status: All 250+ passengers are safe. The thing is, they’ve been offered full refunds or alternative flights. But after a 3-hour flight to nowhere and then an engine explosion on the ground, most just want a bed.
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Air India Incident Report: Jan 15, 2026
| Incident Parameter | Details |
| Flight / Aircraft | AI101 / Airbus A350-941 (VT-JRB) |
| Primary Cause | Return due to Iranian Airspace Closure |
| Secondary Accident | Foreign Object Debris (FOD) — Baggage Container |
| Time of Incident | 05:25 AM IST |
| Current Status | Aircraft Grounded; DGCA Probe Active |
And Here’s the Kicker…
Air India isn’t the only one hurting today. The thing is, the Iranian airspace shutdown has forced IndiGo and SpiceJet to reroute everything via Saudi Arabia or Iraq.
It’s an ongoing situation where fuel costs are going to skyrocket because these “alternative routes” add hours to the flight time. The thing is, Air India’s CEO Campbell Wilson previously noted that these airspace blocks have already cost them over ₹4,000 crore. Today’s engine repair bill is just the cherry on top of a very expensive cake.
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End…
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