A Air India flight bound for San Francisco returned to New Delhi on Wednesday after flying for over eight hours before developing a technical snag. According to the airline and flight-tracking data, the aircraft, with around 230 passengers onboard, had been airborne for more than three hours and was flying through Chinese airspace before diverting back towards the national capital. The aircraft, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER with registration VT-ALL, departed Delhi at 3:09 AM and returned to IGI Airport just after noon. The aircraft was flying at altitudes above 29,000 feet, making it subject to mandatory TCAS requirements over the North Atlantic oceanic region it was scheduled to overfly en route to its destination.
Sources confirmed that the aircraft had to return due to an issue with the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS). As reported by Times of India, the aircraft's TCAS was not working properly during the flight. Since having a functional TCAS is mandatory over the North Atlantic oceanic region that the aircraft was to overfly en route to its destination, Air India decided to ask the pilots to fly back to Delhi when the aircraft was overflying China. Globally, a functional TCAS is mandatory for all aircraft flying over 29,000 feet, with region-specific requirements barring aircraft without TCAS from flying at any altitude in places like the EU and Dubai. TCAS allows planes to communicate with each other if they get too close, then one will descend and the other will climb to avoid collision.
The extended flight duration resulted in significant fuel consumption, with a Boeing 777 burning approximately 8-9 tonnes of fuel every hour depending on wind flows and other factors. As reported by Times of India, this technical snag came at a particularly challenging time for the loss-making airline as oil prices are on fire and the rupee touches new lows on a daily basis. The aircraft, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, departed Delhi for San Francisco before returning to the Indian capital in line with standard safety procedures.
Air India confirmed that the aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India's safety standards. According to the airline's statement, it was arranging alternative flights for passengers and providing assistance, including refreshments, hotel accommodation and rescheduling options. The airline regretted the inconvenience caused to passengers and was making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination as soon as possible. "In the meantime, our ground teams are providing all necessary assistance to the passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation or rescheduling as opted by them," the airline said. The airline did not specify the nature of the technical issue, with data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 showing the aircraft began diverting back to the national capital after being airborne for over three hours.
