Air India flight forced to turn back over mid-air issue days after horror crash

An Air India flight that was travelling from Hong Kong to Delhi had to double back this morning due to a pilot-reported suspected technical issue mid-flight. According to the Hindustan Times, Flight AI315, which was operated by a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, took off from Hong Kong heading for Delhi but promptly returned as a precautionary measure.
This incident follows mere days after an Air India aircraft destined for London Gatwick tragically crashed, leaving all but one of the 242 passengers on board dead. The fatal flight departed from Ahmadabad Airport in Gujarat, India, and went down just moments after take-off last Thursday afternoon.
Prior to this horrific event, Air India had been grappling with an "exceptionally poor" reputation; the crash is thought to have resulted in the loss of 169 Indian nationals, 52 Britons, seven Portuguese citizens, and one Canadian. Vishwashkumar Ramesh, the sole survivor and a British national, shared with local media his experience of witnessing fellow crew members and passengers perish around him, yet he managed to escape relatively unharmed when the aircraft split in two and ejected him.
Occupying seat 11A on the Boeing 787 flight, Mr Ramesh subsequently expressed that he "has no idea how he survived" what is considered one of India's worst aviation disasters.
India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), implemented additional safety inspections for Air India's Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft on Friday. This step was taken as a "preventive measure" in response to Thursday's fiery crash, which also harmed inhabitants of Meghani, a densely populated district where the aircraft plummeted, reports the Mirror.
The recovery of one of the aeroplane's black boxes was announced the same day, a development described by India's Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu as "an important step forward in the investigation" into the calamitous event.
Among the British nationals lost in the crash of Air India flight 171 were wellness experts Fiongal and Jamie Greenlaw-Meek, founders of the Wellness Foundry. The couple had indulged in an Indian holiday and even shared a brief video from Ahmedabad airport, mulling over their journey shortly before they boarded the ill-fated aircraft.
Also perished in the tragedy was businessman Akeel Nanawaba, 36, his partner Hanna Vorajee, 30, and their young daughter Sarah, aged four, who were just concluding a five-day family festivity in India. Another UK-based family caught up in the disaster comprised the acclaimed hotel manager Javed Ali Syed, his wife Mariam, and their little ones Amani, aged four, and Zayn.
Furthermore, there was Raxa Modha, aged 55, her two year old grandson Rudra, and daughter-in-law Yasha Kamdar, who are thought to have been travelling back to England for a remembrance service for Ms Modha's deceased husband when they met their untimely end in the crash.

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