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An Air India Delhi-San Francisco flight returned to Delhi after an engine fire indication mid-air. Passengers shared updates online as the diversion sparked concern
An Air India flight bound for San Francisco made an emergency return to Delhi (Image-Air India)
A Delhi-to-San Francisco Air India flight was returned to the national capital on Wednesday after a technical issue was detected mid-air, prompting concern among passengers and triggering widespread reactions online.
Flight AI173, operated using a Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, had around 230 passengers onboard when it was diverted back to Delhi as part of standard safety procedures. According to flight-tracking data, the aircraft remained airborne for more than eight hours before turning around while flying through Chinese airspace.
In an official statement, Air India confirmed that the flight returned due to a technical issue. “Flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 27 has returned to Delhi due to a technical issue in accordance with the laid down procedures,” the airline said.
The airline further stated that the aircraft landed safely and would undergo a detailed inspection. “The aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India’s safety standards,” the statement added.
Later, Air India revealed that the cockpit crew had received a fire indication from one of the aircraft’s engines during the plane’s final approach into Delhi. “During the aircraft’s final approach into Delhi, the cockpit crew received a fire indication from one of the engines.
The indication was subsequently confirmed as true. The crew followed all standard operating procedures and landed the aircraft safely at Delhi airport,” the airline said.
“All passengers and crew are safe and have disembarked normally,” it added.
Soon after news of the diversion surfaced online, social media platforms were flooded with reactions from passengers, relatives, and other users expressing concern and frustration.
A post shared on the Reddit community r/airindia also gained traction online. Titled, “AI 173 DEL-SFO diverting back to DEL?”, the user wrote, “got this alert but different websites say different things – any way to know what is happening?” as confusion around the flight’s status continued to grow online.
One passenger onboard the flight shared a real-time update on Reddit, writing, “I’m here on the flight Just landed in delhi. They’ve apparently scheduled another flight for 4:30 pm departure, landing at SF at 8:31 pm. Technical reasons for the diversion apparently. I’m just happy we got back safe. Surprisingly though, they’re asking us to collect our checked bags, not sure why. Will keep the thread posted.”
The same user later posted another update saying, “New update – flight rescheduled to tomorrow, same time (3 am types). Will keep y’all posted. Done with immigration just now where they cancelled our stamp.”
Another worried family member commented, “Thank you for the update. My Mother-in-law is traveling alone on her first international trip on this one and we are very stressed and we are unable to reach her.
Some people are saying that the flight has been cancelled but Air India support is saying that the flight has been rescheduled to 4:35 PM. If you get a chance, please let us know what’s going on.”
A third user wrote, “Just had a word with my family traveling in the same flight. Everyone has been asked to deboard and will be provided accommodation. The flight has been rescheduled to the same time tomorrow. For people who want to go early, they are looking at options of connecting flights.”
Another user posted, “My parents are coming on this flight to SFO, I talked to Air India and Dehli airport authority but they did not gave clear answer.”
One more X user remarked, “Anything Air India touches these days, it becomes dust.”
Some users also criticised the airline over its service and maintenance standards. One comment read, “Gud vaastu 4 pilots so is ok. Cud b usual latrine blokings only.”
Another user claimed, “I traveled on it 2 weeks back and it’s shitty flight with everything broken like reading lights, infotainments, food tray, etc. Still pending responses for compensation from customer care.”
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