Air India London flight makes U-turn over Saudi, lands in Delhi after 7 hours

A London-bound Air India flight (AI 111) returned to Delhi on Thursday afternoon after being airborne for nearly seven hours following a technical glitch. Flightradar data showed that the A350 aircraft, en route to Heathrow airport, made a turnaround while it was flying over Saudi Arabian airspace, which was recently affected due to the Iran war. This is the second time in a week that an Air India flight made a U-turn mid-air over technical issues.

The London-bound flight took off from Delhi at 6.13 am on Thursday and landed at around 1.20 pm. Data showed that the Air India aircraft flew for around 3,300 km before turning back mid-air. It takes around 6-7 hours to reach London from Saudi Arabia. Air India hasn't given any reason why it decided to take the long way back to Delhi.

Sources told India Today that the AI 111 flight made a U-turn after noises were heard in the aircraft.

It was the same aircraft, registered as VT-JRF, that was diverted to Shannon in Ireland while it was en route to New York from New Delhi. The incident happened on March 15. Air India had then also stated that it was due to a technical issue. Since then, the aircraft has flown ten sectors without any abnormality.

AIR INDIA ISSUES STATEMENT

However, Air India later issued an updated statement clarifying the reason behind the return.

"Air India flight AI111, operating from Delhi to London on 27 March, returned to Delhi as a precautionary measure after a suspected technical issue was identified," the airline said.

It added that a non-specific vibration was felt inside the cabin, although cockpit instruments showed normal readings. "In an abundance of caution, the flight crew elected to return to Delhi, where the aircraft landed safely," the statement said.

The airline confirmed that the aircraft is now undergoing detailed technical checks in line with its safety protocols.

Air India also said that the aircraft had earlier undergone thorough inspections by its engineering team and had been cleared for operation by Airbus technical specialists, after which it had been operating normally.

The aircraft was airborne for around four hours before the turnaround decision was taken. In total, the plane was airborne for nearly seven hours.

A passenger who was on the flight told indiatoday.tech that the time and effort spent on reprocessing immigration upon landing in Delhi could have been better used to support the flyers, especially the aged and those travelling with young children.

"The Air India authorities could perhaps have been more mindful that all passengers had already cleared immigration. While security is paramount, it was clear that no one could have boarded the aircraft midair," the passenger, Edwin, said. However, he emphasised that Air India made all efforts to accommodate passengers.

PAST INSTANCES

The incident comes nearly a week after a Vancouver-bound Air India flight returned to Delhi after being airborne for over seven hours. The carrier had cited an operational issue. The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft made a U-turn when it was over Chinese airspace.

Earlier this month, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Manchester was forced to turn back mid-air after flying for about seven hours. It followed last-minute airspace restrictions linked to the Iran war, which has engulfed the whole of the Middle East.