Air India’s US-bound flight returns to Mumbai over suspected technical issue

Dubai: A US-bound Air India flight made a precautionary return to Mumbai on Wednesday morning following a suspected technical issue.

Flight AI191, which had taken off for Newark, performed an “air return” shortly after departure and landed safely in Mumbai, according to Indian media reports said quoting the airline statement.

“The crew of flight AI191 operating from Mumbai to Newark on October 22 made a precautionary air return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue,” an Air India spokesperson told NDTV.

After landing, the aircraft was withdrawn from service for inspection, leading to the cancellation of both AI191 and the return flight AI144 on the Mumbai–Newark route.

Air India said it arranged hotel accommodation and alternative flights for affected passengers in Mumbai and informed passengers in Newark of the cancellations.

“The aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections. All affected passengers have been rebooked on alternative Air India and other airlines’ flights to their destinations,” the airline said, adding that those in Newark were also being assisted with alternative travel arrangements.

Recent incidents
The latest episode comes close on the heels of a Delhi-bound Air India flight that developed a technical snag at Milan airport last Friday, stranding more than 250 passengers just ahead of Diwali.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) was unable to operate the return journey to Delhi, forcing the airline to deploy an additional flight on October 19 to bring home 256 stranded travellers.

Air India said it provided hotel accommodation, meals, and offered full refunds or complimentary rescheduling options. A similar incident occurred on August 16 on the same route, when a maintenance task detected during pushback led to cancellation after the crew exceeded flight duty limits.