Delhi-bound Air India flight returns to Hong Kong after pilot suspects technical issue

Mumbai: A Delhi-bound Air India Dreamliner Boeing 787-8 from Hong Kong returned to its airport of origin on Monday after the pilot in command suspected a technical issue shortly after takeoff.

The flight, AI 315, landed safely in Hong Kong and all passengers have disembarked from the plane, the airline said in a statement, adding that the aircraft is undergoing inspection.

The flight departed from Hong Kong at 12.16 pm (local time) and was scheduled to land in Delhi at 12:20 pm IST.

The flight had departed after a delay of almost 3.5 hours as its scheduled departure was at 8:50 am, as per flight tracking website flightradar24.com.

"AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025 returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination Delhi at the earliest," Air India said.

"We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption," it said.

Over 270 people were killed on June 12 when a London-bound Air India plane -- a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner -- carrying 242 passengers and crew crashed into a medical college complex in Ahmedabad and crashed less than a minute after takeoff.