An Air India flight from Hong Kong to Delhi had to turn back mid-air on Monday when the pilot reported a suspected technical problem. The AI315 flight was operating a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner and landed at Hong Kong as a precautionary measure, officials said.
The incident occurs against the backdrop of increased scrutiny of Air India’s safety standards, particularly in the wake of the recent fatal crash of another Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad. The catastrophic crash has drawn widespread public outcry and sharpened criticism of the airline’s maintenance procedures and pilot training protocols.
Demands for accountability have been increasing, with bereaved families and the public calling for an extensive review of safety procedures. In response, the government has set up a high-level panel to investigate the Ahmedabad crash. The probe team, made up of top officials in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and independent aviation professionals, will examine possible technical malfunction, maintenance history, and crew behavior that could have led to the accident.
Air India Flight 171, which had taken off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on June 12, crashed minutes later. All 241 passengers and crew members on the plane were killed. It is one of the worst air crashes in the history of India.
At the same time, a similar in-flight disturbance took place on a Lufthansa plane flying to Hyderabad. Lufthansa Flight LH752 departed from Frankfurt and was due to land at Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport early Monday. The plane, however, flew back mid-air.
“We did not get an approval to land in Hyderabad, and that is why the plane made a U-turn and went back,” ANI quoted Lufthansa Airlines as saying.
The abrupt change caused alarm, and the airline explained it as a failure of landing clearance. But airport authorities suspected a bomb threat. The differing reasons have sparked criticism about communication and emergency procedures in case of crisis situations.
With both incidents unfolding under public and regulatory attention, there are still question marks surrounding the preparedness and credibility of international aviation operators in handling in-flight emergencies.
