New Delhi [India], June 16 : An Air India flight from Delhi to Zurich was delayed on Sunday due to mandatory checks on Boeing 787-8 aircraft, resulting in its late arrival in Switzerland close to the night curfew, sources said on Monday.
The delay was not due to any technical issue but the mandatory checks ordered by government. The return flight is scheduled to operate as planned, sources clarified.
Earlier in the day, in a separate incident, an Air India flight, which was supposed to land in Delhi, was diverted back to Hong Kong after the pilot suspected a technical issue mid-air, according to sources.
The AI 315 flight, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, had departed from Hong Kong to Delhi. According to the flight tracking site, Flight Radar 24, the Air India flight was supposed to reach Delhi by 12.20 PM.
Sources said that the passengers deboarded safely and the plane is undergoing a safety check.
"The pilot suspected some technical issue in the flight and, as a precautionary measure, the flight returned to its origin. Passengers have been disembarked and the flight is going through the check," the source said.
This incident comes up just days after the tragic Air India AI 171, also a Dreamliner 787-8, on June 12 in Ahmedabad, killing 241 people onboard.
Following the crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also ordered enhanced safety checks on Air India's Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet. The airline has stated that inspections on nine out of its 33 Dreamliner aircraft had been completed, with the remaining 24 on track to be inspected within the timeline provided by the regulator.
The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was en route to London from Ahmedabad when it crashed shortly after takeoff. There were 242 people on board, including12 crew members.
Out of all the people, there was a lone survivor, Vishwash Kumar Ramesh, a British national of Indian origin, who sustained minor injuries and had been undergoing treatment.
A high-level meeting on civil aviation security, chaired by Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, is set to take place on June 17 in the wake of the recent Air India plane crash.