Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Air India on December 22 said a Mumbai-bound flight returned to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi and the passengers and crew have disembarked, the airline said in a statement.
“The crew operating flight AI887 from Delhi to Mumbai on 22 December decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue as per standard operating procedure. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi and the passengers and crew have disembarked. Air India sincerely regrets inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.
The aircraft is undergoing the necessary checks, the spokesperson added. “Our ground team at Delhi is providing immediate assistance to the passengers and alternative arrangements have been made to fly them to their destination shortly. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain top priority,” according to the airline.
Amid flight disruptions, Air India said earlier that it has stepped up preparations to minimise passenger inconvenience during the ensuing fog season, announcing measures including CAT III B crew rostering, deployment of CAT III B‑certified aircraft, network-wide airport readiness, tech-enabled passenger assistance and proactive communications. CAT III B crew Rostering and certified aircraft means assigning specially trained and certified flight crews along with deploying aircraft that can land in low visibility conditions.