An Air India flight travelling from Delhi to San Francisco returned to Delhi on Wednesday morning after a technical issue was detected during the journey.
The airline said Flight AI173, carrying around 230 passengers, returned to Delhi following standard safety procedures. The aircraft involved was a Boeing 777-300 ER.
According to the airline, the aircraft landed safely and will now undergo detailed technical inspection as per Air India’s safety standards.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed that the aircraft remained in the air for more than eight hours. Reports suggest the plane turned back toward Delhi after flying for over three hours while passing through Chinese airspace.
Air India apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers and said arrangements were being made to help them reach their destination as quickly as possible.
The airline said its ground staff are providing assistance to passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation, and rescheduling options.
Air India has not yet revealed the exact technical problem that forced the flight to return.
Meanwhile, last week another Air India flight travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi faced an engine fire incident after landing at Delhi airport on May 21.
The airline had confirmed that the cockpit crew of Flight AI2802 received a fire warning from one of the engines during final approach into Delhi. The crew followed all safety procedures and landed the aircraft safely. All passengers and crew members were reported safe.