Mumbai, Oct 22: An Air India Boeing 777 aircraft en route to Newark returned to Mumbai early Wednesday morning following a suspected technical problem detected midflight.
The aircraft, operating as flight AI191, departed from Mumbai at around 1.50 am and remained airborne for more than three hours before making a safe landing back at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
In a statement, Air India said, “The crew of flight AI191 operating from Mumbai to Newark on 22 October made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections.”
Due to the disruption, Air India cancelled both AI191 and the return flight AI144 from Newark to Mumbai. The airline said all affected passengers in Mumbai were provided hotel accommodations and rebooked on alternative flights operated by Air India or other carriers.
Passengers of AI144 in Newark were also notified about the cancellation and are being assisted with rebooking. Air India did not specify the number of passengers affected by the incident.
