The aircraft landed safely after nearly an hour, with no injuries to passengers or crew. The plane was grounded for a thorough technical inspection, and the airline worked to accommodate passengers on alternate flights.
An Air India Boeing 777 passenger jet scheduled to fly from Delhi to Mumbai was forced to return to Delhi shortly after take-off on December 22, 2025, after the flight crew detected a critical engine oil pressure issue in one of its engines.
Operating as Flight AI887, the aircraft departed from Indira Gandhi International Airport in the early morning hours. Soon after becoming airborne, pilots noticed a sudden and significant drop in oil pressure on the right-hand engine, triggering automated warnings in the cockpit. In response, the crew followed established safety procedures and decided to turn the plane back to Delhi as a precautionary measure.
The Boeing 777 remained in the air for nearly an hour before making a safe return and landing back at the Delhi airport. All passengers and crew disembarked without injury. Air India confirmed that the flight’s return was carried out strictly in accordance with standard operating protocols designed to prioritise passenger safety.
Air India spokespersons stressed that no compromise was made on safety, and the aircraft has been taken out of service for a thorough technical inspection by maintenance teams. The airline is working to accommodate affected passengers on alternate flights to Mumbai.
While mid-air returns due to technical issues are relatively rare, aviation experts note that modern jetliners like the Boeing 777 are engineered to continue flying safely on one engine and are equipped with multiple redundant systems to protect against such failures. Authorities and airline engineers will review the oil pressure anomaly to determine the root cause and ensure compliance with safety standards.
Passengers and crew safety remained the top priority throughout the incident, and the swift action by the flight crew prevented any escalation, underscoring the importance of rigorous training and surveillance systems in modern aviation.