NEW DELHI: An Air India Boeing 777 flight from San Francisco to Delhi made a precautionary landing at Mongolia’s New Ulaanbaatar International Airport on Monday following a midair technical glitch, with all 225 passengers safe. The aircraft is currently undergoing checks.
Flight AI 174 took off from San Francisco at 4.37 am India time on Wednesday (3.07 pm Tuesday US time) according to the flight tracking platform, Flightradar24. The plane’s final destination was Kolkata via Delhi.
The Boeing had flown for over ten hours when the cockpit crew suspected the flight had a technical glitch, said an airline source. The diversion was carried out only as a matter of precaution, and it cannot be treated as an emergency landing, he stressed. Air India does not have a base in Mongolia.
In a statement, Air India said, “AI174 of November 2 operating from San Francisco to Delhi via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue en route. The aircraft landed safely at Ulaanbaatar and is undergoing the necessary checks.“
It added, “We are working closely with our partners to support all passengers while we make efforts to get everyone on their way to the destination at the earliest opportunity.” The airline did not elaborate on the nature of the glitch.
It is learned that Air India plans to fly the passengers to Delhi on the same aircraft if the technical issue is resolved and clearance to operate is granted. If not, an alternative flight will be arranged. As of 8 pm, the fault had not yet been rectified.