An Air India flight from Bengaluru to London was diverted to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Monday due to a suspected technical fault, the airline confirmed. Flight AI133, operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, landed safely at around 2pm GMT, with all passengers and crew unharmed.
The aircraft had been in the air for more than six hours before the diversion, according to Flightradar24. Air India described the move as a precautionary measure, stating that the plane was undergoing technical inspections in line with established safety protocols.
This incident follows a similar occurrence on 19 March, when an Air India flight bound for Vancouver returned to Delhi after approximately seven hours because the Boeing 777-200LR had not been cleared for the route. The airline attributed the lapse to an error in updating operational requirements for flights to Canada.
Monday's diversion comes amid heightened disruption for airlines operating in Gulf airspace due to the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. Several carriers have rerouted or cancelled flights through the region, adding pressure to routes connecting South Asia and the Middle East with Europe.
The incident marks another challenge for global aviation safety, following a fatal crash of an Air Canada Express flight at New York's LaGuardia airport on Sunday, and a history of past accidents involving Air India, including a 2024 crash of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner in Ahmedabad that killed 241 people.
