An Air India flight headed for Vancouver from New Delhi had to return to Delhi after flying for more than seven hours, after it was noticed that the aircraft, a Boeing 777 200LR aircraft, deployed by the airline, was not approved for operations in Canada.
The reason behind the error which took place on Thursday ( March 19) was an alleged lapse with regard to updating the operational requirements that resulted in the wrong aircraft being assigned for the flight, stated a report by the Hindustan Timesquoting sources.
Air India cites ‘operational issue’
Although an Air India spokesperson admitted that the flight had to return to Delhi but attributed the cause to an “operational issue” without providing any further information. He further stated that the flight departed for Vancouver on Friday (March 21).
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“Air India flight AI185, operating from Delhi to Vancouver on March 19, returned to Delhi due to an operational issue and in line with established standard operating procedures. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew had disembarked (safely),” said the Air India spokesperson.
He further stated that all necessary assistance was provided by Air India’s ground team in Delhi, including offering hotel accommodation. He said that no every possible effort to ensure that the affected passengers reached their destination at the earliest was made.
Flight path and turnaround details
As per data by Flightradar24, the flight, operating a Boeing 777-200LR (VT-AEI), turned back while it was in Chinese airspace after flying for about four hours.
“The flight should have been operated using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which has the necessary approvals for operations to Canada. This aircraft wasn’t allowed to operate into Canada because the approvals are specific to certain variants like the Boeing 300ER,” said an official.
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“You can’t just send a different aircraft, for instance, one cannot operate a B777 200LR or a B787 without prior clearance, since airport infrastructure, ground handling, and parking gates are configured accordingly,” said another official.
Operating international services involves securing a range of clearances that differ from country to country, including approvals tied to specific aircraft types based on infrastructure and regulatory conditions, an official said.
Financial impact of the incident
Officials also flagged the financial impact arising from the episode.
“The aircraft was airborne for about seven to eight hours, including the time it spent over Chinese airspace. Fuel burn alone would be significant… Add to that passenger accommodation, and the opportunity cost, and the total loss could run into a few crores,” the person said.
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