Pilot’s Warning Before Air India Flight U-Turns Back to Hong Kong
A Delhi-bound Air India flight (AI315) made a precautionary U-turn on Monday, nearly an hour after taking off from Hong Kong. The pilot suspected a technical issue and decided to return to Hong Kong International Airport rather than continue the journey.
According to AirNav Radar data, the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner departed around 12:20 PM, climbed to an altitude of 22,000 feet, and then began descending. An audio recording of the pilot’s communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC), available on LiveATC.net, revealed the captain’s request:
“For technical reasons, sir, we would like to stay closer to Hong Kong, maybe we will come back and sort out the problem… we don’t want to continue further.”
The aircraft requested local standby at 1:00 PM (0500 GMT) and landed safely by 1:15 PM, Reuters reported.
Air India confirmed the incident in a statement:
“Flight AI315 from Hong Kong to Delhi on June 16, 2025, returned to Hong Kong shortly after departure due to a suspected technical issue. The aircraft landed safely and is currently undergoing precautionary checks.”
The airline added that alternative arrangements were being made to fly passengers to Delhi at the earliest and that ground assistance was being provided to minimize inconvenience.
This incident occurred just days after a tragic crash involving another Boeing 787-8 aircraft, which struck a doctors’ hostel in Ahmedabad. The crash claimed 274 lives, including nearly all 242 onboard. It marked the deadliest aviation accident in Indian history.
In response, the Indian government has launched a high-level investigation panel. The committee includes members from the DGCA, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB), and independent aviation safety experts. Their mandate is to examine technical malfunctions, maintenance logs, and crew actions leading up to the Ahmedabad crash.
News Source : Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.
