London-bound Air India flight returns to Delhi after seven hours in air: ‘Noises were heard in aircraft’

An Air India flight enroute to London Heathrow returned to Delhi due to a technical issue on Thursday afternoon after being airborne for nearly seven hours.

Air India flight AI111 was operating from Delhi to London on Thursday, news agency PTI reported.

An Air India spokesperson said its flight AI111, made a precautionary air-return to the national capital following a suspected technical issue.

"The aircraft landed safely and consistent with Air India's high safety standards, it is currently subject to extensive technical evaluations, which will require additional time to complete," the spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the sources, noises were heard in the aircraft following which it was diverted.

The spokesperson also regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to the unforeseen situation and said the airline was making every effort to ensure passengers are able to continue their journey to London at the earliest.

Details about the number of passengers onboard could not be ascertained.

The aircraft operating the flight AI111 was airborne for around four hours before the decision was taken to divert the plane when it was in the Saudi Arabia airspace. In total, the plane was airborne for nearly seven hours before landing back in the national capital, as per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

The flight had taken off from Delhi around 6 am on Thursday and landed back at about 12.30 pm.

Air India started operating A350-900 planes from January 2024.