Air India Flight Makes Emergency Return After Mid-Air Engine Failure.

Mid-Air Engine Snag Forces Boeing 777 to Abort Mumbai Run.

A Mumbai-bound Air India flight (AI 887) operating a Boeing 777-300ER was forced to make an emergency return to Delhi shortly after takeoff on Monday, December 22, 2025, after a critical technical failure in its right engine triggered a major mid-air scare. The aircraft departed IGI Airport around 6:30 AM with nearly 335 passengers onboard when, during climb and flap retraction, pilots detected a sharp drop in engine oil pressure in Engine No. 2, which soon fell to zero — a condition requiring immediate landing.

The crew declared an emergency and carried out an “air turn-back,” keeping the aircraft airborne for about an hour to manage fuel weight before landing safely back in Delhi at approximately 7:45 AM. All passengers and crew were evacuated safely, and Air India arranged an alternate Boeing 777 to operate the onward journey to Mumbai.

The incident has drawn heightened attention as it comes amid increased scrutiny of the Tata-owned airline group following recent technical snags, including the cancellation of an Air India Express flight last week due to an engine issue.

While social media speculation wrongly linked Monday’s scare to Air India Express, officials confirmed the aircraft involved was a full-service Air India wide-body jet. The DGCA has launched an investigation into the engine failure to determine whether it stemmed from mechanical fatigue or maintenance lapses, once again putting airline safety and fleet reliability under the regulatory spotlight.