(AFP) An Air India Dreamliner windshield cracked while landing in Australia, an  airline official said Monday, the latest in a string of mishaps the aircraft has  suffered in recent times.

The Delhi-Melbourne-Sydney-Delhi flight, carrying 74 passengers, developed a  crack late Sunday while landing in Melbourne, Air India spokesman Praveen  Bhatnagar said on Monday.

“The cockpit windscreen developed a crack while landing. It was a small  incident. The windscreen has already been replaced,” said Bhatnagar, adding that  there was no risk to the safety of passengers.

While all passengers were transferred Sunday to another flight to Delhi, Air  India flew in a new windshield from India to replace the cracked one.

Air India Dreamliner touched down in Australia in September after a 16-year  gap, marking the resumption of direct flights to Australia.

However, the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleet has been suffering  technical glitches of late, including an incident where the fuselage panel of a  jet fell off last month while landing in the southern city of Bangalore.

The Dreamliner has encountered several serious difficulties since entering  operation two years ago, especially with its batteries, causing the entire fleet  to be grounded for about four months earlier this year.

But Air India dismissed any claims of technical glitches on the  Melbourne-bound flight.

“It was no aircraft glitch. This may have happened due to rapid change in  temperatures or some other particles on the windscreen while landing,” said  Bhatnagar.

Scandinavian operator Norwegian Air Shuttle has also criticised the plane’s  reliability after it found a flaw in the electrical system.

SOURCE AFP Photo: M. van Leeuwen (Z.A.P.P.)