Air India Flight Returns to Hong Kong After Technical Issue, Following Deadly Crash

On Monday, an Air India flight was forced to return to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a reported "technical issue," according to the airline. This incident occurred just days after a separate Air India flight crashed, resulting in a significant loss of life. The aircraft involved in the Monday incident was a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.

Air India confirmed that the flight, which was en route to New Delhi, landed safely back in Hong Kong. The plane was undergoing thorough inspections as a precautionary measure. The Airport Authority Hong Kong reported that the flight, identified as AI315, returned to the airport around 1 p.m.

The flight that returned to Hong Kong, AI315, was a Boeing 787 Dreamliner, mirroring the aircraft type of the Air India flight, AI171, that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday. The earlier crash involved the same model of aircraft and resulted in the deaths of a large number of passengers and people on the ground.

Air India arranged alternative travel for the passengers affected by the Hong Kong to New Delhi flight, aiming to transport them to their destination as soon as possible.

Following the Thursday crash, Indian authorities instructed Air India to conduct additional safety checks on all of its Boeing 787 aircraft. However, neither the authorities nor Boeing have recommended grounding the planes.

Globally, there are over 360 Boeing 787-8 aircraft in operation, with American Airlines having the largest fleet of this model.