NEW DELHI: An Air India flight to San Francisco, carrying 230 passengers and 15 crew members, returned to Delhi on Wednesday afternoon after flying for more than seven hours. The plane was flying inside Chinese airspace when the pilots decided to fly back after a technical glitch was detected midair, said airline sources.
AI 173 took off from Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport at 3.09 am and had flown for three and a half hours. “A technical glitch was detected midair when the plane was flying above China and as a matter of abundant caution, the cockpit crew decided to return. It was only a precautionary landing. Had it been an emergency, the pilots would have opted for an emergency landing at a nearby airport,” said an airline source.
“The plane flew back for three and a half hours and landed safely at Delhi airport,” he added. The flight also spent an additional 45 minutes hovering over Delhi airport to dump the fuel it was carrying. “The fuel jettisoning had to be done as the fuel tank was full as it was a long haul flight. No flight can land with so much fuel on board,” the source said.
Air India confirmed the incident. “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 aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India’s safety standards. The safety and well-being of passengers and crew remain Air India’s highest priority,” the airline said in a statement.
“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 said.