After 7-hour journey, Air India flight to London returns to Delhi over suspected snag

Air India spokesperson said flight AI 111 from Delhi to London made a precautionary air-return to the national capital following a suspected technical issue.

An Air India aircraft en route to London returned to Delhi on Thursday after a technical issue, after nearly seven hours in the air. The aircraft reportedly landed safely and is currently undergoing extensive technical evaluation.

After taking off, the aircraft was reportedly four hours airborne before the decision was taken to divert. (Reuters/Representational Image)

Air India's A350 aircraft had taken off from Delhi around 6 am on Thursday and landed back at about 12.30 pm. It was on its way to London's Heathrow and returned to the national capital after a technical issue.

The same flight had also faced an issue on March 15, following which the plane operating the flight from New York to Delhi was diverted to the Irish town of Shannon, the report added.

Talking about the issue, an Air India spokesperson said that the flight AI 111 from Delhi to London made a precautionary air-return to the national capital following a suspected technical issue.

“The aircraft landed safely and, consistent with Air India's high safety standards, it is currently subject to extensive technical evaluations”, the spokesperson was quoted as saying. He also added that the evaluation will take extra time to complete.

Airborne for seven hours before landing back

After takeoff, the aircraft was reportedly in the air for about four hours before a decision was made to divert. The plane was in Saudi Arabian airspace at the time. In total, the plane was airborne for nearly seven hours before landing back in the national capital, as per information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

As the aircraft took off, noises were heard, following which it was diverted, news agency PTI reported citing sources.

The spokesperson regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the unforeseen situation and said the airline was making every effort to ensure passengers are able to continue their journey to London at the earliest.

Further details about the number of passengers on board were not disclosed.

Air India started operating A350-900 planes from January 2024.