An Air India flight bound for San Fransico in the United States returned to Delhi on Wednesday after a technical snag. Flight trackers online also showed that the flight returned to the capital after being airborne for over eight hours.
"The aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India's safety standards," the airline said in a statement.
The flight was carrying around 230 passengers on a Boeing 777-330 ER aircraft.
"Flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 27 has returned to Delhi due to a technical issue in accordance with the laid down procedures," the airline said in the statement to the news agency.
Data from the flight tracker FlightRadar24 showed that the aircraft was airborne for over eight hours before it was diverted back to the national capital.
Air India further added that the flight landed safely in Delhi and will undergo a technical inspection.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers and are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination as soon as possible. In the meantime, our ground teams are providing all necessary assistance to the passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation or rescheduling as opted by them,” the airline added further.
{{/usCountry}}“We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers and are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination as soon as possible. In the meantime, our ground teams are providing all necessary assistance to the passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation or rescheduling as opted by them,” the airline added further.
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Last week, an Air India flight travelling from Bengaluru to Delhi declared a full emergency at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to a suspected engine fire.
The flight, AI 2802, landed on runway 29R at Delhi airport and was towed away. There were 171 passengers on board the Airbus A320 aircraft. The runway resumed operations at 10:18 pm.
In a statement on the incident, Air India said that during the aircraft's final approach to Delhi, the cockpit crew received a fire warning from one of the engines, and the alert was later confirmed to be true.
“Air India is immediately initiating a full investigation into the cause of the incident in coordination with the relevant regulatory authorities. We are committed to sharing further verified information as soon as it becomes available. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority,” it further said.