NEW DELHI, Mar 20: In a bizarre incident, an Air India flight to Vancouver, returned to Delhi after nearly eight hours in the air as the airline mistakenly deployed an aircraft that did not have the regulatory clearance to enter Canada.
Flight AI185 took off from Delhi at 11:34 am on Thursday with passengers and initially proceeded on an eastward route. However, after about four hours into the journey, when the aircraft entered the Chinese airspace near Kunming, the airline realised that the aircraft was not authorised to operate in Canada.
With that much time spent on its way back, the aircraft flew for a total of 7 hours and 54 minutes to land where it had taken off from.
The aircraft was a Boeing 777-200LR, while Air India currently has approval to operate only its Boeing 777-300ER fleet on services to Canada. Aviation approvals granted by countries can vary widely: some are issued on an airline basis, while others are specific to aircraft types or even to individual aircraft tail numbers.
Following the realisation, the aircraft was called back to Delhi mid-flight. It landed safely nearly nine hours after departure. All passengers and crew disembarked without incident.
Air India, in a statement, cited an “operational issue” for the return and said the decision was taken in line with the standard operating procedures. “The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked. We regret the inconvenience caused to our guests,” the airline said.
The airline added that ground teams in Delhi arranged assistance for passengers, including hotel accommodation, and made efforts to ensure they reached their destination at the earliest. The flight departed on Friday morning with all passengers on-board. The incident is expected to have significant cost implications, as a Boeing 777 typically burns about eight to nine tonnes of fuel per hour, depending on operating conditions.
(Manas Dasgupta)
