An Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner plane bound for New Delhi returned to its origin of Hong Kong as a precautionary measure on Monday, after the pilot suspected a technical issue mid-air, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The incident comes days after an Air India flight to London, using the same type of Boeing aircraft, crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad moments after take-off, killing 241 of the 242 people on board.
The Dreamliner aircraft flying Air India flight AI315 out of Hong Kong on Monday is now undergoing checks, said the source with knowledge of the matter.
AI315 made a return to Hong Kong International Airport and requested local standby at around 1 pm, "landed safely at around 1:15 pm", the spokesperson of Airport Authority Hong Kong said.
The airport operations were not affected, the spokesperson added.
Flight AI315 took off from Hong Kong at around 12:20 pm and landed just around an hour later. It reached an altitude of 22,000 feet, and then started descending, according to flight tracking website AirNav Radar. The plane was 7 years old.
🇮🇳 🇭🇰 🛫 🛬 🇭🇰
— Aaron Busch (@tripperhead) June 16, 2025
Air India 315 from Hong Kong to Delhi diverted back to Hong Kong after takeoff on Monday.
The plane departed 3hrs and 26 minutes delayed, then returned to Hong Kong roughly an hour after takeoff. The flight was on a 7 year old Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner. pic.twitter.com/kTNvlcfMFV
Boeing and Air India did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Hong Kong-New Delhi flight.
Previously, rescue workers searched for missing people and aircraft parts in the charred buildings of a medical college hostel in Ahmedabad on June 13 after an Air India plane crash killed more than 240 people in the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade according to Reuters.
The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner with 242 people on board bound for Gatwick Airport south of London took off over a residential area and then disappeared from view before a huge fireball was seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses, CCTV footage showed.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Dr. Pratik Joshi and his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, along with their three young children, were one of the families that lost their lives in one of India's deadliest aviation disasters.
Only one passenger survived after it crashed onto the hostel during lunch hour, causing deaths on the ground as well, which local media has put as high as 24. Reuters could not immediately verify the number.
Rescue workers had completed combing the crash site and were now searching for missing people and bodies in the buildings as well as for aircraft parts that could help explain why the plane crashed soon after taking off.
Local newspaper Hindustan Times reported that one of two black boxes from the plane had been found.
Reuters could not verify the report and the paper did not say whether the flight data recorder or the cockpit voice recorder had been recovered.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was briefed by officials on the progress of rescue operations when he visited the crash site in his home state of Gujarat on Friday. Modi also met some of the injured being treated in the hospital.
"The scene of devastation is saddening," he said in a post on X.
Visited the crash site in Ahmedabad today. The scene of devastation is saddening. Met officials and teams working tirelessly in the aftermath. Our thoughts remain with those who lost their loved ones in this unimaginable tragedy. pic.twitter.com/R7PPGGo6Lj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 13, 2025
Residents living in the vicinity said that construction of the hostel for resident doctors was completed only a year ago and the buildings were not fully occupied.
"We were at home and heard a massive sound, it appeared like a big blast. We then saw very dark smoke which engulfed the entire area," said 63-year-old Nitin Joshi, who has been living in the area for more than 50 years.
Parts of the plane's fuselage were scattered around the smouldering building into which it crashed. The tail of the plane was stuck on top of the building.
The company said the lone survivor, a British national, was undergoing treatment in the hospital.
Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson also arrived in Ahmedabad in the early hours of Friday and gave a message from Air India's X account where he promised technical assistance and financial assurances to the families affected by the crash.
Message from Campbell Wilson, CEO & MD, Air India. pic.twitter.com/o1wQnReCaG
— Air India (@airindia) June 14, 2025
Last week's crash brings a new challenge for both Air India, which has for years been trying to revamp its fleet, and Boeing, which is trying to rebuild public trust following a series of safety and production crises.
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