The Air India flight, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, left Hong Kong for Delhi on Monday morning before quickly returning to its origin as a precautionary measure
An Air India flight travelling from Hong Kong to Delhi was forced to make a U-turn this morning after the pilot reported a suspected technical issue mid-air.
Flight AI315, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, left Hong Kong for Delhi before quickly returning to its origin as a precautionary measure, reports the Hindustan Times. It comes just days after an Air India plane bound for London Gatwick crashed and killed all but one of the 242 passengers onboard. The flight, which departed Ahmadabad Airport in Gujarat, India, came down moments after taking off on Thursday afternoon. Air India was already battling an “exceptionally poor” reputation before the horror incident, believed to have claimed the lives of 169 Indian nationals, 52 Brits, seven Portuguese nationals and one Canadian passenger.
The only survivor, British national Vishwashkumar Ramesh, told local news that he saw the aircraft crew and passengers die around him but managed to flee when the plane suddenly split in two and threw him out with only minor injuries. Mr Ramesh, who was in seat 11A on the Boeing 787 flight, later said “has no idea how he survived” one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters.
On Friday, India’s aviation regulator ordered extra safety checks on Air India’s Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 fleet. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the move was a “preventive measure” following Thursday’s fireball smash, which also injured residents of the densely populated Meghani area where the plane came down.
One of the aircraft’s two black boxes was recovered on the same day, marking “an important step forward in the investigation” into the tragedy, India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu said.
Among the Brits believed to have perished on the flight were wellness influencers Fiongal and husband Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, who co-founded the Wellness Foundry and made appearances on ITV’s This Morning to showcase the brand.
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