An Air India flight bound for Vancouver was forced to return to Delhi after nearly eight hours in the air due to a regulatory clearance issue with the aircraft, according to reports.
Flight AI185, which departed from Delhi at 11:34 AM on March 20, was en route to Vancouver when the airline realised mid-journey that the aircraft operating the flight lacked the necessary approval to enter Canadian airspace.
The aircraft initially proceeded along the eastern route and had already been airborne for nearly four hours when it reached Chinese airspace near Kunming. It was at this stage that the airline identified the compliance issue, prompting a decision to turn the flight back to its origin.
Due to the long-haul nature of the route, the aircraft remained airborne for 7 hours and 54 minutes before landing safely back in Delhi, effectively resulting in a journey with no destination for passengers.
The flight was operated using a Boeing 777-200LR, whereas Air India currently holds operational clearance for its Boeing 777-300ER fleet on routes to Canada. Aviation permissions granted by countries are often aircraft-specific, requiring airlines to deploy only approved variants on designated international routes.
After completing the return journey, the aircraft landed safely in Delhi nearly nine hours after its initial departure. All passengers and crew members disembarked without any reported incident.
The development highlights the critical importance of regulatory compliance in international aviation operations, where aircraft-specific approvals play a key role in determining route eligibility.
