The move came a day after Indian officials told the airline to improve its operations, and as delays and canceled flights are drawing complaints from passengers.

One of the engines of the Air India plane that crashed last week was new, while the other was not due for servicing until December, the airline's chairman has said. In an interview with an Indian news channel, N Chandrasekaran said that both engines of the aircraft had "clean" histories.

Air India faces fresh turbulence following last week’s fatal crash as additional safety inspections on its Dreamliner fleet lead to flight delays, cancellations and growing passenger anxiety.