Air India is facing an investigation after an Airbus A320neo operating flight AI2379 from Phuket to Delhi suffered a sudden loss of altitude in cruise on 4 August, injuring 17 people on board. The aircraft landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport, while Indian regulators secured the flight data and cockpit voice recorders and moved the jet to a hangar for inspection.
Air India put the number of people hospitalised for medical evaluation at 13 passengers and four crew members. Subsequent updates indicated that the injured were stable and that passengers had been discharged. Initial reports framed the event as turbulence-related, but investigators later widened their focus to a possible technical malfunction.
Authorities are examining whether a broader systems issue contributed to the event, including reports of hydraulic-system failures and an autopilot disconnect. The developing inquiry has shifted attention from an in-flight turbulence event to a potential airworthiness matter involving the A320neo fleet, an issue of interest to regulators, operators and Airbus.