Overview
- Air India flight AI173, a Boeing 777-300ER bound for San Francisco, returned to Delhi after a technical issue and landed safely, the carrier said.
- Flight-tracking data reported the jet was airborne for more than eight hours and began diverting back toward Delhi after flying for over three hours while in Chinese airspace.
- The aircraft will remain grounded for a detailed technical inspection under Air India’s safety protocols and investigators from regulators are likely to be involved in determining the cause.
- About 230 passengers were deplaned in Delhi and Air India deployed ground teams to provide refreshments, hotel accommodation and rebooking or refunds as passengers choose.
- Unconfirmed media reports and quoted pilots suggested a possible problem with the plane’s traffic collision avoidance system, but the airline has not verified a specific fault and the root cause remains under investigation.