On 20 March 2026, Air India flight AI 185 departed Delhi bound for Vancouver. More than seven hours later — after flying deep into Chinese airspace — the aircraft turned around and flew all the way back to Delhi. Passengers endured roughly eight hours in the air and ended up exactly where they started.
Air India described the turnaround as an "operational issue" handled "in line with established standard operating procedures." But the real story is more specific — and more concerning.
What Actually Happened
The flight was operated using a Boeing 777-200LR registered as VT-AEI — one of five aircraft Air India leased from Delta Air Lines after Delta retired them during the pandemic. The Delhi-Vancouver route is normally served by a Boeing 777-300ER, and the swap to the smaller variant created a problem that wasn't about the destination, but about the route taken to get there.
Air India's routing from Delhi to North America passes near the Hindu Kush mountain range, deliberately avoiding Afghan and Pakistani airspace. Flying over such high terrain requires aircraft to carry additional emergency oxygen supplies for passengers — enough to sustain cabin pressure if an emergency descent is needed while maintaining safe altitude above the mountains.
The Oxygen Problem
Air India's original fleet of 777-200LRs (delivered between 2007 and 2010) were equipped with the extended oxygen systems needed for these high-terrain routes. However, the ex-Delta aircraft were not fitted with this equipment. Delta's routes didn't require it, and since these leased planes were always intended to be temporary, Air India never invested in retrofitting them.
The standard passenger oxygen system on these ex-Delta jets provides approximately 12 minutes of supplemental oxygen. Over high mountain terrain, emergency descent procedures can take longer than that — meaning the aircraft doesn't meet the regulatory requirements for routes crossing the Himalayas and Hindu Kush.
India's aviation regulator, the DGCA, had actually fined Air India back in January 2024 for operating these same leased 777s on terrain-critical long-range routes without proper emergency oxygen arrangements. Despite this, the airline dispatched VT-AEI on the Delhi-Vancouver service — and it took more than seven hours of flight time before the issue was caught and the turnaround initiated.
Not the First Time
This isn't Air India's first extended flight to nowhere. In a similar incident, an Air India flight from Chicago became a 9-hour journey that went nowhere after multiple toilets clogged mid-flight. The airline has faced repeated scrutiny over operational reliability as it undergoes a massive transformation under Tata Group ownership.
What This Means for Travellers
For passengers, incidents like this are deeply frustrating — eight hours of flying with nothing to show for it except exhaustion and disrupted plans. Here's what you should know if you're booked on a long-haul Air India flight:
- You're entitled to compensation and re-accommodation. When an airline cancels or significantly disrupts your journey due to their own operational failure, you have rights under India's DGCA passenger charter. This includes meals, hotel accommodation, and rebooking on the next available flight.
- Aircraft swaps happen more often than you'd think. Airlines regularly substitute aircraft types for operational reasons — mechanical issues, crew availability, or fleet scheduling. Most swaps are harmless, but occasionally (as in this case) they create regulatory problems.
- Travel insurance matters. A good travel insurance policy covers trip delays and disruptions, including hotel stays and meals when your flight is significantly delayed or cancelled. If you're flying long-haul, it's worth the small premium.
- Check your flight status. Before heading to the airport, always check your flight status and any aircraft change notifications. Services like Flightradar24 can show you the actual aircraft type assigned to your flight.
The Bigger Picture
Air India is in the middle of the largest airline transformation in Indian aviation history. Under Tata Group ownership since January 2022, the airline has ordered hundreds of new aircraft, merged with Vistara, and is overhauling everything from its brand to its service standards. But incidents like this suggest that operational discipline — particularly around fleet management and dispatch procedures — still needs significant improvement.
The fact that a plane was dispatched on a route it wasn't equipped to fly, and that nobody caught the error until the aircraft was over China, raises serious questions about Air India's internal checks and dispatch processes.
For now, Air India has offered affected passengers rebooking on alternate flights. The airline has not publicly disclosed what went wrong beyond the generic "operational issue" statement.
Planning a trip? Search flights on FareEagle to compare fares across airlines and find the best deals on domestic and international routes.
