A London-bound Air India plane on the same route as the doomed AI171 flight was cancelled just days after the disaster that claimed the lives of over 200 people. Flight AI159 was due to depart from Ahmedabad for London, after arriving from New Delhi earlier on Tuesday.

However, a technical issue was discovered during routine checks of the plane, leading to its abrupt cancellation, according to CNN News18. The airline hasn’t yet spoken about the reason for the cancellation. As a result, worried passengers were left stranded at the airport. The plane was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the same model of aircraft that crashed last week, killing 241 people on board. 

The aircraft crashed into a residential area shortly after take-off. Indian doctors say so far, 270 bodies have been recovered from the crash site.

India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is leading an inquiry into the cause of the crash, helped by teams from the US and UK.

One of the plane’s black boxes was retrieved from the site of the accident, which should help investigators establish the cause of the crash.

India’s civil aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, said the black box would “significantly aid the inquiry”.

A number of issues on Air India planes have been reported in the days following the crash, leading to flights having to re-route or be cancelled. 

On Monday, Air India’s flight AI2493 from Mumbai to Ahmedabad was cancelled after facing delays due to operational issues.

The Airbus A321-211 (VT-PPL), assigned to operate the flight, was initially delayed for unspecified reasons. 

Meanwhile, an Air India Express flight from Delhi to Ranchi was forced to return to the capital shortly after take-off due to suspected technical issues.

The Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft was originally scheduled to land at Ranchi’s Birsa Munda Airport at 6.20pm.

An Air India Express spokesperson said: “One of our flights returned to Delhi after takeoff due to a suspected technical issue.

“Following inspections and necessary clearances, the aircraft resumed scheduled operations. We regret the inconvenience caused.”