Mid-air scare: Air India's Delhi-bound flight returns to Hong Kong; technical snag suspected

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.Air India is yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident.

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.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.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)