London-Bound Air India Flight Returns to Delhi Due to Technical Glitches

A London-bound Air India flight, specifically a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, abruptly reversed course and returned to New Delhi.

According to Times Now, Air India flight AI0111 departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport at approximately 7:15 a.m. on Thursday. The flight, however, made a return to the IGI airport, after a 30-minute journey due to a technical issue encountered when the aircraft reached an altitude of 36,000 feet.

A passenger onboard the flight shared that the pilot made a mid-air announcement regarding the technical problem and the decision to return to IGI Airport.

After making the unexpected U-turn, the flight safely touched down at New Delhi Airport at approximately 9:30 a.m. A passenger named Yashvardhan Trikha, who was on that flight, shared his experience on his X (formerly Twitter) account. He expressed frustration, stating, “Hundreds of passengers are being stranded at the airport because of the poor service of Air India. There was a technical glitch in the flight today (AI0111) as the AC was not working and other issues were also there. Pilot was having an experiment in the air.”

In response to this tweet, the official Air India account replied, “Dear Sir, we know delays are certainly uncomfortable. The flight is delayed due to operational reasons and our team is working diligently to minimize the inconvenience caused. However, we’ve alerted our ground team to get in touch with the guests for further updates.”

The passenger added that the flight’s original departure time was set for 6:35 AM but was rescheduled three times, with the current departure time now at 1:30 PM. Furthermore, no meals or refreshments have been offered, and passengers were left stranded at the airport since midnight.

In yet another instance of a technical glitch, an Air India flight bound for London was diverted back to Mumbai following a reported failure in its left engine. The flight AI131 had embarked on its journey from Mumbai to London when issues arose in the operation of the left engine.

“The aircraft returned to its origin due to a technical issue. Three minutes after its departure, the pilot reported one engine inoperative. The aircraft landed safely at 9.11 a.m. As per the pilot there was no further assistance was required. All operations are normal here,” said an airport official.

The aircraft, carrying 181 passengers and eight crew members, conducted the landing shortly after departing from the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport.