An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for New Delhi was forced to return to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff on Monday due to a suspected technical fault.
The aircraft involved is the same model as the one that crashed last week in Ahmedabad, an Air India spokesperson told Sky News.
The precise nature of the suspected issue, which prompted the flight crew’s decision, has not been disclosed.
According to flight tracking service Flightradar24, Flight AI315 departed Hong Kong at 12:16 p.m. local time and turned back just over an hour into its journey.
A spokesperson for Air India said, “While a technical issue has not been confirmed, the pilot suspected a possible problem.”
“We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption,” the spokesperson added.
The aircraft is currently undergoing detailed inspection.
This latest incident comes on the heels of a fatal crash involving another Air India Dreamliner that departed from Ahmedabad airport in western India. That crash claimed the lives of 229 passengers and 12 crew members, with one survivor.
Boeing has not yet issued a statement in response to the incident involving the Hong Kong–New Delhi flight.
