Delhi-bound Air India Dreamliner returns to Hong Kong due to tech glitch

An Air India flight en route from Hong Kong to Delhi returned shortly after takeoff on Monday morning due to a suspected technical issue. Flight AI315, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, turned back as a precaution after the pilot detected a potential problem mid-air. The specific nature of the technical snag has not been disclosed.

 

The flight landed safely in Hong Kong, and all passengers disembarked. The aircraft is undergoing inspection.

 

The incident follows a major crash on June 12, when Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, went down shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London. The aircraft crashed into a medical college hostel, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and at least 38 on the ground. A British national seated in 11A was the sole survivor. It was the first fatal crash involving a Boeing 787 Dreamliner since the aircraft entered commercial service in 2011.

 

Since the Air India plane crash, this is the second instance that a Boeing 787 Dreamliner has returned mid-flight due to a technical snag.

 

On June 15, a British Airways Dreamliner operating Flight BA35 to Chennai returned to London mid-air following a technical snag. The airline said the aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked normally.

 

On the same day, Air India Express passengers on flight IX-1226 from Guwahati to Kolkata faced repeated delays due to a technical glitch. The flight, carrying 170 passengers, was originally scheduled to depart at 9:20 pm on Saturday from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport. Travellers were deboarded twice and ultimately faced a wait of more than 18 hours before being flown to their destination on Sunday afternoon.

 

Following the crash, India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) initiated enhanced inspections of Air India's entire Dreamliner fleet. The airline also announced that long-haul operations could face delays due to these ongoing checks. “Some of these checks could lead to higher turnaround time and potential delays on certain long-haul routes, especially those to airports with operating curfews,” the airline said in a statement on X.

 

(With agency inputs)