New Delhi witnessed a significant incident involving an Air India Airbus A350, which had to turn back after flying for over seven hours. The aircraft, registered as VT-JRF, was operating flight AI 111 from Delhi to London but was forced to return due to excessive noise and vibrations detected in the cargo hold area. This incident occurred on a Thursday while the flight was in Oman airspace.

Previous Similar Incident

This marks the second occurrence of this issue within a span of ten days for the same aircraft. The earlier incident took place on March 16, when VT-JRF was en route from New York to Delhi. During that flight, passengers became aware of disturbances caused by vibrations and sounds emanating from the belly hold. The flight was close to Ireland at that time, prompting the pilots to divert the aircraft to Shannon Airport, where approximately 300 passengers safely disembarked. Subsequent maintenance checks were conducted in consultation with Airbus, which found no deficiencies in the aircraft.

Return to Delhi and Passenger Arrangements

On the latest flight, AI 111 took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport at 5:42 AM and returned at 12:51 PM. Following the diversion, passengers were informed that arrangements would be made for their accommodations and further travel. Airline sources indicated that Air India is taking the issue seriously and is already in communication with Airbus regarding the disturbances associated with the aircraft. Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has initiated an investigation into the matter.

Inspection and Follow-Up Actions

Since the previous incident on March 16, the aircraft had successfully completed ten flights on various routes, including Delhi-London and Delhi-New York (via Rome), without any reported abnormalities. According to a DGCA official, the excessive noise experienced on this latest flight prompted immediate action. The official stated that the aircraft was directed to return due to complaints from the flight crew regarding sound disturbances during the flight.

Regulatory Oversight

The DGCA’s airworthiness and air safety directors will oversee the ongoing investigation into the aircraft’s recent issues. Although the aircraft underwent maintenance checks after the first incident, it remains to be seen whether further investigations will uncover underlying problems that might not have been detected earlier.

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