New Delhi, March 20: An Air India flight bound for Vancouver was forced to return to New Delhi on Thursday evening after being airborne for more than seven hours. The turnaround occurred when the airline realized that the Boeing 777-200LR deployed for the journey did not possess the necessary regulatory clearance from Transport Canada for that specific route. While Air India is authorized to operate the Boeing 777-300ER variant to Canada, the long-range (LR) model used for flight AI185 had not received the required administrative approvals.
The aircraft, registered as VT-AEI, was reportedly flying through Chinese airspace near Kunming when the operational error was flagged. According to tracking data, the plane had departed Delhi at approximately 12:18 p.m. and eventually touched down back at Indira Gandhi International Airport at 7:19 p.m. Air India affirmed that the decision to return was made in accordance with standard operating procedures to ensure full regulatory compliance.
Following the landing, the airline provided hotel accommodations and ground support to the affected passengers. An official spokesperson stated that the safety and well-being of the travelers and crew remained the highest priority throughout the incident. The carrier noted that the flight was rescheduled and successfully departed for Vancouver on Friday morning using the correct aircraft type.
Aviation sources maintained that the lapse appeared to be an administrative oversight in the aircraft deployment process. They asserted that while the Boeing 777-200LR is capable of flying the distance, specific bilateral and safety mandates require tail-specific or fleet-specific clearances for certain international destinations. The airline has reportedly taken a serious note of the logistical error and is conducting an internal review to prevent a recurrence.
