NEW DELHI: An Air India Express flight bound for Phuket returned to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad on Saturday morning shortly after takeoff.
According to data from FlightRadar24, flight IX110, operated on a Boeing 737 Max 8 (registration VT-BWA) aircraft, took off from Hyderabad at 6.40am, around 20 minutes behind its scheduled departure of 6.20am. The flight was originally expected to land in Phuket at 11.45am.
The reason for the turnaround was not immediately disclosed. Airline and airport officials are yet to issue a statement.
Earlier this week, an IndiGo flight from Delhi to Imphal was forced to return mid-air on Thursday morning soon after takeoff following a technical snag.
The aircraft underwent mandatory checks before resuming its journey and finally landed in Imphal nearly four and a half hours after its original departure time.
Flight 6E-5118 had taken off from IGI Airport at 10.25 am but turned back and landed safely in Delhi at 11.16 am. After technical inspection, it took off again around 12.30 pm and landed in Imphal at 2.53 pm — well past its scheduled arrival time of 1.10 pm.
An IndiGo spokesperson said, “A minor technical snag was detected soon after takeoff on flight 6E-5118 operating from Delhi to Imphal on July 17, 2025. As a precautionary step, the pilots decided to return and landed safely at Indira Gandhi International Airport. The aircraft underwent necessary checks and resumed the journey shortly thereafter.”
The airline added that the inconvenience caused to passengers is regretted.
Series of technical snags across airlines
IndiGo flight — 6E-6271 — from Delhi to Goa reportedly suffered an engine failure mid-air and was diverted to Mumbai, where it landed safely.
On June 19, a Leh-bound IndiGo flight was forced to return to Delhi after remaining airborne for nearly two hours due to technical issues.
Earlier on May 6, an Aeroflot flight (SU273) from Bangkok to Moscow made an emergency landing at Delhi airport after suspected fumes were detected in the cabin.
In April, a Jeddah-Delhi flight made an emergency landing at IGI Airport due to a suspected flat tyre. The flight, carrying 404 passengers, landed safely.
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