NEW DELHI: Another Boeing Dreamliner flight operated by Air India, this time the 788 model, developed technical problems midair after it took off from Hong Kong to Delhi on June 16. The pilot steered the plane AI 315 safely back to the Hong Kong International Airport.
The flight departed from Hong Kong at 12.16 pm (local time), three hours behind the scheduled time and was supposed to land in Delhi at 12.20 pm IST. However, after encountering a technical snag, the AI 315 pilot returned the flight to the Hong Kong International Airport safely.
An Air India spokesperson said, “The AI315 is undergoing checks as a matter of precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination, Delhi at the earliest. We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption."
The Boeing 788 is a part of the 787 series, and they are all wide-bodied aircraft and can carry upto 250 passengers.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation had called for enhanced inspection checks and surveillance of all 33 Boeing flights owned by Air India following the Ahmedabad plane crash on June 12 that killed over 270 people.
Notably, on June 15, a domestic flight with 168 passengers which took off from Delhi to Vadodara, was flown back to Indira Gandhi International Airport by the Captain who suspected a landing gear issue. The passengers had to disembark and many opted to take other flights.