An Air India flight bound for Newark, United States, was forced to return to Mumbai shortly after take-off early Tuesday after the crew detected a suspected technical problem, the airline said in a statement.
According to Air India, flight AI191, which was scheduled to operate from Mumbai to Newark on October 22, made a precautionary air return after the crew noticed a possible technical snag.
“The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections,” the airline confirmed. However, details regarding the number of passengers onboard and the exact time of departure and return were not immediately shared.
As per its normal schedule, the flight typically departs Mumbai at 01:10 am (IST) and arrives in Newark at 07:55 am (EDT).
Return flight also cancelled
Due to the cancellation of the Mumbai-Newark service, the return flight (AI144) from Newark to Mumbai was also called off. The airline did not immediately provide revised schedules or rebooking details for affected passengers.
The latest incident comes just days after another Air India flight encountered mechanical trouble. On October 17, a Delhi-bound Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) developed a technical fault after landing at Milan airport, leaving over 250 passengers stranded for nearly two days ahead of Diwali.
To bring them home, the airline deployed a replacement aircraft on October 19, carrying 256 passengers back to Delhi. Air India said it provided hotel accommodation, meals, and full refunds or complimentary rescheduling for all affected travelers.
Previous incidents raise safety concerns
Earlier this year, on August 16, another Air India flight on the same Mumbai-Newark route was cancelled after a maintenance issue was detected during pushback. The delay caused the operating crew to exceed their mandatory flight duty time limits, rendering it unsafe and impermissible to continue the journey.
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