Air India had a rough operational day today. The airline has had another diversion today on one of its long-haul routes, which, of course, is an expensive proposition.
A Delhi–San Francisco service had to be turned around mid-air over China and brought back to Delhi due to a technical snag
Air India’s 777 flies to San Francisco, only to turn back
On May 27, 2026, Air India flight AI173 departed Delhi for San Francisco as scheduled. Everything appeared normal — until it wasn’t. Several hours into the flight, while cruising over Chinese airspace, the plane turned around due to a technical snag,
Air India’s AI173 (operated by VT-ALL) turned around and arrived in Delhi (May 27, 2026)
The aircraft reversed course and headed back to Delhi, completing roughly nine hours of flying time without ever reaching its destination. Passengers, effectively, experienced a long-haul “flight to nowhere.”
A technical issue
Air India attributed this issue to a technical snag. In a statement from the airline’s Spokesperson, they said,
Flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco on 27 May has returned to Delhi due to a technical issue in accordance with the laid-down procedures. The aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India’s safety standards.
We regret the inconvenience caused to the passengers and are making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination as soon as possible. In the meantime, our ground teams are providing all necessary assistance to the passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation or rescheduling as opted by them.
The safety and well-being of passengers and crew remain Air India’s highest priority.“
Air India currently operates its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft into the US West Coast.
Passenger impact
By the time the aircraft landed back in Delhi, passengers had spent close to nine hours in the air — only to end up where they started. Air India arranged accommodation and rebooking, but the disruption was significant, especially on long-haul international sectors where passengers are often connecting onward or travelling for time-sensitive commitments. And while the plane was initially supposed to depart in the evening, the flight was eventually cancelled.
The timing couldn’t be worse. This episode comes at a delicate time for Air India. The airline is in the middle of a high-visibility transformation, reactivating grounded aircraft, upgrading cabins, rebuilding its global network, and repositioning itself as a reliable full-service carrier. Operational lapses like this don’t just cause inconvenience — they dent credibility. And credibility is exactly what Air India is trying to rebuild.
Bottomline
Air India operated flight AI173, which cost an expensive 9 hours’ worth of jet fuel and time, and had to turn it around after a technical snag. These incidents continue to happen with regular frequency at Air India, which dents its reliability and reputation
What do you make of the Air India snafu with the flight operation between Delhi and San Francisco?
Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.
(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)
We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.
Leave a Reply