Air India’s Mumbai-Newark Flight Returns Mid-Air After Technical Snag

October 22, 2025

Mumbai: An Air India flight bound for Newark, US, was forced to return to Mumbai shortly after take-off on Tuesday night following a suspected technical issue, the airline confirmed in a statement on Wednesday.

Precautionary Air-Return Ensured Passenger Safety

“The crew of flight AI191, operating from Mumbai to Newark on October 22, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections,” Air India said.

The airline did not immediately disclose details such as the number of passengers on board or the exact time of departure and return.

As per schedule, AI191 departs from Mumbai at 01:10 a.m. (IST) and arrives in Newark at 07:55 a.m. (EDT).

Return Flight Also Cancelled

Owing to the unscheduled return, the Newark-Mumbai return flight (AI144) was also cancelled, affecting several passengers on the transatlantic route.

Recent Technical Setbacks for Air India

The incident follows a similar technical snag involving a Delhi-bound Air India aircraft at Milan Airport last Friday, which left over 250 passengers stranded abroad just ahead of Diwali.

The airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) had developed a fault after landing in Milan, preventing it from operating the return leg. Air India later dispatched a special flight on October 19 to bring home 256 passengers who had been stranded since October 17.

The carrier said it provided hotel accommodation, meals, and full refunds or complimentary rescheduling options to affected passengers.

Previous Similar Incident in August

In another case on August 16, an Air India flight on the same Mumbai-Newark route was cancelled after a technical issue was detected during pushback.

The airline said a maintenance task was identified just before departure, causing a delay that would have violated crew flight duty time limitations, making it unsafe for the crew to continue the journey.