NEW DELHI: A Delhi-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner returned to Hong Kong airport on Monday morning after the aircraft reportedly encountered a technical snag mid-air.The flight, AI-315, was operated by Air India.It had departed from Hong Kong and was en route to Delhi when the crew detected a possible technical issue.As a precautionary measure, the aircraft returned to Hong Kong to ensure passenger safety.The Air India flight AI 315 touched down without incident in Hong Kong, with all travellers safely exiting the aircraft, according to the airline’s official statement. The aircraft is currently being examined by technical staff.The service left Hong Kong at 12:16 pm (local time) with Delhi as its destination, where it was due to arrive at 12:20 pm IST.The departure experienced a significant delay of around 3.5 hours from its original schedule of 8:50 am.
“AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025 returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination Delhi at the earliest,” Air India said.“We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption,” it said.The incident comes just four days after a London-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad airport on June 12.
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The aircraft, carrying 242 people on board, crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad moments after taking off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport at 1.39pm.While 241 people on board the aircraft died, one passenger miraculously survived.In addition, 29 people on the ground are reported to have died in the disaster, including five MBBS students.Read: Lufthansa explains why Germany-Hyderabad flight returned mid-air; cites ‘abundance of caution’A day ago, an Air India flight from Delhi to Vadodara (AI 819) was forced to return to IGI Airport on Sunday evening shortly after takeoff due to a suspected landing gear issue.The Airbus A321 (VT-PPI) had taken off at 6.51pm when the pilots noticed that the landing gear did not retract as expected.The crew quickly informed Delhi Air Traffic Control (ATC) and requested clearance to return for a precautionary landing. The aircraft landed safely without any incident.(With agency inputs)
