An Air India Boeing 787-8 en route to New Delhi from Hong Kong made an unexpected return to Hong Kong on Monday after an in-flight irregularity prompted safety concerns.
What Happened: Flight AI315 departed Hong Kong at around 12:20 p.m. local time and started climbing toward its cruising altitude. Reuters reports that at 22,000 feet, the crew identified a possible malfunction and decided to reverse course. It landed safely back at Hong Kong International Airport at approximately 1:15 PM.
Air India stated: "AI315 returned to Hong Kong shortly after take-off due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely … and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution."
According to the Airport Authority Hong Kong, the plane requested emergency standby shortly after takeoff. The Dreamliner involved in the incident is seven years old.
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Why It Matters: The incident comes on the heels of a tragic crash involving another Air India Dreamliner, which killed 241 passengers in Ahmedabad, India, last week. In response to the accident, Boeing Co. (NYSE:BA) stock fell after rising to a 15-month high.
The company has been at the center of controversy following a series of incidents involving its aircraft. Despite public backlash, it recently struck a deal with the Department of Justice to avoid prosecution by agreeing to pay more than $1.1 billion over two deadly crashes in 2018 and 2019 that claimed 346 lives.
Monday's incident in Hong Kong is likely to add to Boeing's woes, as India considers grounding the country’s Boeing 787-8 fleet temporarily.
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