Air India plane to New Delhi returns to Hong Kong 1 hour after takeoff due to 'suspected technical issue'

An Air India plane bound for India's New Delhi returned to Hong Kong "as a precautionary measure" at 1:18pm on Jun. 16.

The decision came after the pilot of the flight, AI315, became suspicious of "a technical issue mid-air", reported Reuters, citing a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

While the Reuters report did not specify what the technical issue was, HK01 reported that it understands that the flight experienced "fuel problems".

According to data from Flightradar24, the aircraft in question was a seven-year-old Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which left Hong Kong International Airport for Indira Gandhi International Airport at around 12pm.

The aircraft returned to Hong Kong at around 1:15pm, spending slightly over an hour mid-air, and is now undergoing checks, added the source.

Aircraft 'landed safely' at Hong Kong

In response to HK01's queries, an Airport Authority Hong Kong spokesperson confirmed that AI315 requested to return to Hong Kong after takeoff and for local standby at around 1pm on Monday.

The flight eventually landed safely in Hong Kong at around 1:15pm, and the airport operations were not affected, added the spokesperson.

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department also told HK01 that they were alerted to the incident at around 1:05pm.

As of 4:45pm on Jun. 11, Air India and Boeing have yet to release a statement regarding the incident on their respective social media channels.

Incident took place days after Air India's fatal crash

This latest incident took place four days after an Air India flight AI171 bound for London crashed in Ahmedabad in western India on Jun. 12 afternoon.

As a result, 241 of the 242 passengers and crew members onboard the Boeing 787 Dreamliner died.

Following the incident, Boeing's shares plunged by around 8 per cent in premarket trading on Jun. 12.

On the same day, the aircraft manufacturer's chief executive officer (CEO), Kelly Ortberg, also released a statement, offering the company's "deepest condolences" to the loved ones of those onboard AI171, as well as those affected in Ahmedabad.

Ortberg said she had spoken with Air India chairman N Chandrasekaran to offer Boeing's "full support", adding that a Boeing team "stands ready to support the investigation led by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau".

Top images via R Shankarnarayanan Iyer/Facebook & Flightradar24