New Delhi, 20 March (H.S.):

Tata Group-owned Air India faced another major operational lapse on Thursday, forcing its Delhi-to-Vancouver flight AI-185 to return to the capital nearly seven hours after takeoff, with over 300 passengers on board. Details of the incident emerged today.

The airline had mistakenly deployed a Boeing 777-200LR instead of the scheduled Boeing 777-300ER for the route to Canada's Vancouver. The error came to light only after the aircraft had been airborne for about four hours and entered Kunming airspace in China, prompting an immediate U-turn.

The plane landed safely back at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In a statement issued Friday, Air India confirmed the aircraft had touched down securely at Delhi airport. While specifics remained sparse, the airline noted that all passengers and crew members had safely disembarked.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar