Air India flight: An Air India flight operating between San Francisco and Mumbai via Kolkata experienced a technical snag in one of its engines, prompting a precautionary deplaning of all passengers at the Kolkata airport early Tuesday. Flight AI180 arrived at 12:45 am as scheduled but was unable to resume its onward journey due to a malfunction in the left engine. Around 5:20 am, the flight crew announced that all passengers would be required to disembark.
An Air India flight (in picture) operating from San Francisco to Mumbai, with a scheduled stop in Kolkata, underwent a mandatory post-landing inspection upon arrival in Kolkata early today. During the course of this routine check, a technical issue was suspected. As a… pic.twitter.com/w3KtJczSG3
— ANI (@ANI) June 17, 2025
The captain assured passengers that the step was taken “in the interest of flight safety.” No injuries or emergencies were reported. Technical teams were dispatched to inspect the engine and determine the cause of the issue before the aircraft could be cleared for further operations.
A passenger shared, “We were trying to figure out what was going on, but eventually, they gave us boarding passes and arranged a nice hotel. There was no panic, the staff was helpful and provided food. We’ll rest briefly at the hotel before reboarding our flight.”
Hong Kong-Delhi flight returns mid-air
In a separate incident, Flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi was forced to turn back shortly after takeoff on Monday due to a suspected technical issue. Operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, the flight had departed Hong Kong on schedule but returned mid-air when the pilot observed a potential system malfunction.
VIDEO | Kolkata: An Air India flight from San Francisco to Mumbai via Kolkata suffered a technical snag in one of its engines, requiring passengers to be deplaned during a scheduled halt at the city airport early on Tuesday.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 17, 2025
Flight AI180 arrived on time at the city airport at… pic.twitter.com/0MSUiiwPdZ
The aircraft landed safely back in Hong Kong, and all passengers were reported to be unharmed. In a statement, an Air India spokesperson said: “AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025 air-returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination Delhi at the earliest.”
Ongoing concerns after deadly crash
These back-to-back incidents come in the wake of a tragic crash involving Air India on June 12. A London-bound flight from Ahmedabad crashed into a medical college campus in Meghaninagar shortly after takeoff, killing 241 of the 242 people onboard and 29 civilians on the ground.