NEW DELHI: Within a span of 24 hours, three separate in-flight emergencies were reported involving aircraft from the United Kingdom, Germany, and India. These incidents have left the flyers feeling on the edge especially after tragic crash of Air India Flight AI 171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, that killed 279 people including 241 passengers.The incidents included a British fighter jet making an emergency landing in Kerala on Sunday due to alleged low fuel, a bomb threat forcing a Lufthansa flight bound for Hyderabad to turn back to Frankfurt, and an Air India flight from Hong Kong to Delhi returning mid-air following a suspected technical snag. While none of the incidents resulted in casualties, the rapid succession of mid-air scares has raised fresh concerns over aviation safety and operational preparedness, especially in an era of increasing air traffic and heightened geopolitical tensions.
Delhi-bound Air India flight returns to Hong Kong due to technical snag
A Delhi-bound Air India flight from Hong Kong experienced a mid-air scare when pilots detected a suspected technical malfunction. As a precaution, the Boeing 787 aircraft, carrying more than 200 passengers, returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff.“AI315 operating from Hong Kong to Delhi on 16 June 2025 returned to Hong Kong shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The flight landed safely at Hong Kong and is undergoing checks as a matter of abundant precaution. Alternative arrangements have been planned to fly the passengers to their destination Delhi at the earliest,” Air India said in a statement.“We are providing all necessary on-ground assistance to the passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption,” it said.
Lufthansa flight takes U-turn to Germany due to ‘bomb threat’
In another alarming episode, a Lufthansa flight en route to Hyderabad from Frankfurt was forced to turn back mid-air after a bomb threat was received.“The flight returned to its origin because of a bomb threat which was received while the aircraft was still outside the Indian airspace,” an official told news agency ANI.Lufthansa flight LH752 took off from Frankfurt at approximately 2.14pm local time (5.44pm IST) on Sunday and was expected to arrive in Hyderabad early Monday. However, flight tracking data indicated a diversion several hours into the trip.Authorities confirmed that all passengers were safely disembarked and screened. Investigations are underway to identify the source of the threat, which caused hours of disruption.
British fighter jet makes emergency landing in Kerala due to ‘low fuel’
A British F-35 fighter made an emergency landing in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday citing “low fuel”.The Air Traffic Control (ATC) was alerted around 9:20pm, prompting the airport to initiate emergency measures. The aircraft landed safely at approximately 9.28pm and remained stationed at the Kerala airport, where it had since been refuelled.