Air India Flight to US Returns to Mumbai After Technical Glitch
AI191 makes precautionary air-return; return flight AI144 also cancelled
Mumbai, Oct 22 : An Air India flight bound for Newark, USA, had to return to Mumbai shortly after take-off on Wednesday due to a suspected technical issue, the airline confirmed.
“Flight AI191, operating from Mumbai to Newark on 22 October, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical problem. The aircraft landed safely and is undergoing necessary inspections,” the airline said in a statement.
Details regarding the number of passengers on board and exact departure and return times were not immediately available. Normally, AI191 departs Mumbai at 01:10 IST and reaches Newark at 07:55 EDT. As a result of the return, the corresponding Newark-Mumbai flight, AI144, was also cancelled.
This incident follows a similar technical snag experienced by an Air India flight to Delhi from Milan last Friday, which stranded over 250 passengers just before Diwali. The airline had arranged an additional flight on 19 October to bring back the affected passengers and provided accommodations, meals, and rescheduling options.
Earlier this year, on 16 August, a similar issue forced the cancellation of an AI flight on the same route when a maintenance problem was detected during pushback. Air India clarified that mandatory flight duty time limitations prevented the crew from continuing after the delay.
These repeated technical glitches have raised concerns over operational reliability, though the airline has reiterated that passenger safety remains the top priority.
