Lucknow, July 15 -- A morning flight from Lucknow to Hyderabad was declared "unfit to fly" minutes before 150 passengers were about to board it here on Sunday after it developed a technical snag, officials said.

Air India (AI) Express' Flight IX 2816, a Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, was scheduled to take off from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport at 8:40 am. However, just as boarding gates were expected to open, airline staff informed passengers of a sudden cancellation, citing safety concerns raised by the pilot.

According to airport officials, the aircraft landed in Lucknow earlier in the morning from Hyderabad, arriving ahead of schedule. It was meant to return to Hyderabad and continue onward to multiple southern destination...