Air India flight to New York returns to Delhi for medical aid

A New York-bound Air India Boeing turned back mid-air and landed at the Indira Gandhi International airport on Saturday after a male passenger complained of breathing problem, the state-run carrier said.

"The B777 long-haul non-stop flight (AI 101), which took off from the city airport around 2 a.m., returned to the airport at 5 a.m. for emergency medical aid to the sick passenger onboard," an Air India spokesman told IANS here.

Though the plane with 327 passengers was airborne for 150 minutes, flight commander Captain Zoya Agarwal decided to turn back to Delhi after the passenger complained of breathlessness and was in need of urgent medical attention.

The ailing passenger was rushed to a nearby hospital immediately after the plane touched down.

"Timely action helped provide urgent medicate and the passenger's condition is stable," the carrier said in a statement later.

The flight took off for New York soon after the passenger was wheeled out for treatment.

The spokesman did not give the name and age of the passenger or details such as where he hailed from and to which destination he was flying to in the US.