New Delhi, July 25: A Mumbai-bound Air India flight returned to Jaipur, just minutes after take-off, on Friday as the pilots suspected that there was a technical fault in the plane.

The flight, which departed from Jaipur at 2.01 p.m., was scheduled to arrive in Mumbai at 3.35 p.m., but had to return after a mere 18 minutes in the air.

"Flight AI612 operating from Jaipur to Mumbai on 25 July air-returned to Jaipur shortly after take-off due to a suspected technical issue. Troubleshooting checks were carried out and it was determined to be a false indication," the Air India spokesperson said.

“The aircraft was cleared for operations, and the flight proceeded to its destination, Mumbai. Any inconvenience caused to our passengers for this unforeseen disruption is sincerely regretted. At Air India, the safety and well-being of our passengers remain top priority," the spokesperson added.

The incident comes close on the heels of Air India’s Hong Kong flight's auxiliary power unit catching fire after landing at Delhi airport on Tuesday.

"Flight AI 315, operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 22 July 2025, experienced an auxiliary power unit (APU) fire shortly after it had landed and parked at the gate,” an airline spokesperson said in a statement.

“The incident occurred while passengers had begun disembarking, and the APU was automatically shut down as per system design,” it added.

The aircraft has been grounded for further investigations, and the aviation regulator has been duly notified, according to Air India. The airline acknowledged that there was some damage to the aircraft.

“However, passengers and crew members disembarked normally and are safe. The aircraft has been grounded for further investigations and the regulator has been duly notified,” the airline said.

Air India also said on Tuesday it has completed precautionary inspections on the fuel control switch (FCS) locking mechanisms of all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet.

The airline stated that no problems were found during the checks, which were conducted in line with safety directives issued by India’s aviation regulator, DGCA, earlier this month after the Air India Boeing 787 crash in Ahmedabad, in which 260 people were killed.

“Air India has completed precautionary inspections on the locking mechanism of Fuel Control Switch (FCS) on all Boeing 787 and Boeing 737 aircraft in its fleet,” the airline said in a statement.

--IANS

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