Air India sees another mid-air scare as Mumbai-bound flight returns to Jaipur minutes after takeoff due to...

An Air India flight scheduled from Jaipur to Mumbai returned to its base within minutes of taking off on Friday (July 25), report said, as the plane faced a technical issue mid-air. The aircraft was in the air for about 18 minutes before returning to the Jaipur airport. According to the aviation tracking website Flightradar, the plane took off at 1:35 pm and its status was later marked as "diverted." The news comes as Air India continues to see regular flight disruptions owing to technical snags.

Air India issues statement
Air India said in an official statement issued on Friday: "Flight AI612 operating from Jaipur to Mumbai returned to Jaipur shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue. Troubleshooting checks were carried out, and it was determined to be a false indication." After the inspection was completed, the aircraft was cleared for operations, and the flight continued its journey to Mumbai.

Number of such incidents
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has said that a total of 183 technical issue incidents were reported by five airlines as of July 21 during this year. The pack was led by Air India and its wholly-owned subsidiary Air India Express, recording a total of 85 such incidents so far this year. Air India was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in early 2022. Over the past five years, Air India and its subsidiary have seen well over 500 technical snag incidents, according to the government.

Air India plane crash tragedy
Air India continues to see flight disruptions, sometimes at the last minute, causing inconvenience to passengers. The incidents are being reported even weeks after the tragic Air India plane crash of June 12, when a Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by the airline crashed shortly after taking off from the Ahmedabad international airport. The crash killed 241 people on board and dozens others on the ground, marking one of India's deadliest aviation incidents.