Technical glitch forces Air India Mumbai-New York flight to return from Iran airspace

A technical glitch reportedly forced an Air India Mumbai-New York flight to return from Iranian airspace early on Tuesday morning, official sources said.

The flight, AI-119, bound for JFK Airport in New York took off around 2.20 am and returned after a few hours.

The sources said that there were certain 'minor' technical issues in the aircraft and the decision to fly back to Mumbai was taken to conduct precautionary checks in the interest of passengers and crew safety.

The flight landed safely at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), this morning and was sent for the technical checks, while the AI authorities made arrangements to look after all the passengers.

An alternative flight was being arranged to fly out the stranded passengers expeditiously even as they were given hotel accommodation, flight options, cabs, meals, etc., said the sources.