Air India CEO Campbell Wilson has been summoned by India’s civil aviation minister following a Phuket-Delhi flight incident in which the aircraft suddenly lost around 300 feet of altitude, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter.
The government action comes days after Indian authorities opened an investigation into the incident involving an Airbus A320neo operated by Air India.
The aircraft was flying from Phuket, Thailand, to Delhi when it experienced what Air India described as a “momentary altitude variation” while crossing Odisha. The incident resulted in injuries to 13 passengers and four crew members.
Air India and the civil aviation minister’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The aircraft was carrying 137 passengers and eight crew members when the altitude variation occurred.
Despite the incident, the aircraft continued its journey and landed safely in Delhi.
Air India said 13 passengers and four crew members were injured during the episode. The injuries have been disclosed by the airline as part of its account of the incident, while authorities continue to examine what caused the sudden change in altitude.
Key details reported so far include:
The summons to Wilson comes as Indian authorities investigate the circumstances surrounding the flight.
Reuters reported that the civil aviation ministry opened its investigation shortly after the incident. The government is now seeking information from Air India’s leadership as part of its scrutiny.
The investigation follows a separate development involving the flight captain.
On Sunday, India’s civil aviation ministry said the captain had returned an initial positive screening result for psychoactive substances. The result has triggered further laboratory testing.
Air India said it had not been informed of the screening result.
The initial screening result does not by itself establish whether the captain had consumed a prohibited substance. Further laboratory testing is required, and the authorities have not disclosed a final finding in the information provided.
The incident puts renewed attention on the operational and safety procedures surrounding Air India flights.
The carrier has faced heightened scrutiny from Indian aviation authorities following a series of safety-related developments involving its operations. In this case, investigators will need to establish the circumstances behind the sudden altitude variation and determine the factors that contributed to the injuries.
The available information does not establish a cause for the altitude loss.
The investigation is still underway, and the outcome of the additional laboratory testing involving the captain remains pending.
The summons brings the airline’s senior management directly into the government’s review of the incident.
Campbell Wilson, who serves as Air India’s chief executive, is expected to face questions from the civil aviation ministry as investigators examine the episode and the airline’s handling of the flight.
For Air India, the investigation comes at a sensitive point as the airline continues to operate a large international network alongside its domestic services.
The immediate focus will remain on the findings of the aviation investigation and the laboratory testing ordered after the captain’s initial screening result.
Until those processes are completed, the available evidence does not establish why the aircraft experienced the altitude variation or whether the captain’s screening result had any connection to the incident.
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