4 min readNew DelhiDec 22, 2025 04:25 PM IST
First published on: Dec 22, 2025 at 02:23 PM IST
An Air India Boeing 777 aircraft operating a Delhi-Mumbai flight Monday morning had to return to Delhi within half an hour of departure due to low engine oil pressure in of the plane’s two engines, forcing the pilots to shut down the engine and land back in Delhi. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has sought a detailed report from the airline, and directed the aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to conduct a “thorough investigation” into the incident.
The pilots of the wide-body aircraft—bearing registration VT-ALS and operating flight AI-887—observed low engine oil pressure in the plane’s right-hand engine shortly after take-off, with the pressure dropping to zero soon after. Following the standard operating procedure, the pilots shut down the affected engine and landed back safely in Delhi. According to flight tracking data, the aircraft—with over 330 people on board—took off at 6:31 am from the Delhi airport, after being delayed for over three hours. Following engine trouble, it landed back in Delhi around 20 minutes later.
Another Air India Boeing 777 aircraft—VT-ALP—was then arranged to operate the disrupted flight. It departed from Delhi at 10:25 am and landed in Mumbai at 12:14 pm, as per flight tracking data.
To be sure, twin-engine commercial jets can safely operate on a single engine, but they usually divert to the nearest airport if one of the engines shuts down. This is done to minimise any additional risk to the aircraft and to ensure that the plane is not airborne for long without engine redundancy. The aircraft involved—VT-ALS—is a 15-year-old plane that the privatised Air India inherited from its government ownership days. This particular aircraft mostly operates long-haul flights to Europe and North America, and is used for domestic flights only occasionally, as per its flight history in recent weeks.
“The crew operating flight AI887 from Delhi to Mumbai on 22 December decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue as per standard operating procedure. The aircraft landed safely at Delhi and the passengers and crew have disembarked. Air India sincerely regrets inconvenience caused due to this unforeseen situation. The aircraft is undergoing the necessary checks. Our ground team at Delhi is providing immediate assistance to the passengers and alternative arrangements have been made to fly them to their destination shortly. At Air India, the safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remain top priority,” the Tata group airline said in a statement Monday morning.
“(Aircraft) Inspection/rectification is in progress. The incident would be investigated by the permanent investigation board of the airline under the supervision of Director Air Safety (Northern Region), DGCA,” the DGCA said in a statement. A DGCA source said that a review of the aircraft’s previous record did not indicate any abnormality in oil consumption.
Taking note of the incident, MoCA posted on social media platform X: “The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken note of the Air India flight AI-887 incident involving a technical issue shortly after take-off. The aircraft landed safely. The Ministry has sought a detailed report from Air India, and DGCA has been directed to conduct a thorough investigation. The airline has been directed to extend all assistance to passengers and accommodate them on subsequent flights. Passenger safety remains paramount.”
While such “airturnbacks” shortly after departure due to technical issues are not very uncommon, Air India has faced significant regulatory scrutiny and action since the tragic crash of one of its Boeing 787 aircraft in Ahmedabad on June 12, in which 260 people died.
The pilots of the wide-body aircraft observed low engine oil pressure in the plane’s right-hand engine shortly after take-off,. (Air India website) 
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