Chicago-bound Air India flight spots snag, returns to Delhi

A Chicago-bound Air India Boeing 777-300ER returned to Delhi three hours after take-off following a technical snag, early on Monday. According to sources, a defect in the transponder - a device which helps air traffic controllers identify an aircraft - forced the flight commander to return to Delhi at around 5 am. No emergency was declared and all passengers were deplaned safely on arrival. Apart from technical reasons, the flight to Chicago was delayed as an alternative set of pilots and cabin crew were not immediately available to operate the plane. An Air India spokesperson did not respond to a text message seeking comments.

In January this year, an Air India Boeing 787 on the London-Delhi route had to return to London following a problem with its transponder.

"Transponder issues are plaguing both Boeing 777 and Boeing 787,'' an Air India official remarked.