Air India warns of possible disruptions to A350 routes after jet suffers engine damage

By Nandan Mandayam

Jan 15 (Reuters) - Air India warned of possible disruptions to routes served by its Airbus AIR.PA A350s due to engine damage sustained by one of the long-haul aircraft after landing in New Delhi on Thursday.

The carrier said the aircraft encountered "a foreign object" as it was taxiing in dense fog. India's aviation regulator later said the damage was caused by a stray cargo container that toppled from a vehicle and landed on one of the airport's taxiways.

"Further investigation is being carried out," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.

Photos posted by the agency on social media showed a hole on the inside of the engine's air intake area.

Air India operates six new A350s on lucrative routes, including between India's capital New Delhi and London, New York and Newark. The routes are also served by older Boeing BA.N aircraft.

"The aircraft is currently grounded for a thorough investigation and necessary repairs, which may cause potential disruptions on select A350 routes," Air India said. It did not disclose details on the routes that could be affected.

The plane had been flying to New York but was forced to turn back to its origin following Iran's temporary airspace closure, which impacted its planned route.

The incident occurred at 5:25 a.m. local time (2355 GMT, Wednesday) after it had landed back in New Delhi, according to the DGCA.

Iran has since reopened its airspace after the nearly five-hour closure, which was imposed amid concerns over possible military action between the U.S. and Iran forcing airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights.