Mumbai: An Air India flight (AIC129) bound for London was forced to return to Mumbai after three hours in the air on Friday morning, as reported by PTI citing FlightRadar24. The flight departed from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at approximately 5:39 AM but was unable to proceed due to escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The return of AIC129 comes in the wake of Israel’s overnight strikes on Iran between June 12 and 13, which prompted the closure of Iranian airspace and disrupted multiple international flight routes.
Air India’s Response to the Crisis
Air India issued a statement addressing the situation, confirming that 16 of its international flights were either diverted or returned to their origin points due to the closure of Iranian airspace and heightened Israel-Iran tensions. “In view of passenger safety and the evolving situation in Iran, the following Air India flights are being diverted or returned to their origin,” the airline stated.
Air India flight AIC129, which took off early morning today from Mumbai for London, is returning to Mumbai, according to Flightradar24. More details are awaited. pic.twitter.com/BmRtlkmaut
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 13, 2025
List of Affected Air India Flights
- AI130 (London Heathrow-Mumbai): Diverted to Vienna
- AI102 (New York-Delhi): Diverted to Sharjah
- AI116 (New York-Mumbai): Diverted to Jeddah
- AI2018 (London Heathrow-Delhi): Diverted to Mumbai
- AI129 (Mumbai-London Heathrow): Returned to Mumbai
- AI119 (Mumbai-New York): Returned to Mumbai
- AI103 (Delhi-Washington): Returned to Delhi
- AI106 (Newark-Delhi): Returned to Delhi
- AI188 (Vancouver-Delhi): Diverted to Jeddah
- AI101 (Delhi-New York): Diverted to Frankfurt/Milan
- AI126 (Chicago-Delhi): Diverted to Jeddah
- AI132 (London Heathrow-Bengaluru): Diverted to Sharjah
- AI2016 (London Heathrow-Delhi): Diverted to Vienna
- AI104 (Washington-Delhi): Diverted to Vienna
- AI190 (Toronto-Delhi): Diverted to Frankfurt
- AI189 (Delhi-Toronto): Returned to Delhi
Ahmedabad Crash
The flight disruptions follow a tragic incident on Thursday, when an Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, also headed to London’s Gatwick Airport, crashed into a medical college hostel just two minutes after takeoff from Ahmedabad. The flight, carrying 242 passengers including 169 Indian nationals, 53 British nationals, seven Portuguese nationals, and one Canadian national resulted in only one survivor, a British national of Indian origin. The aircraft was piloted by Captain Sumeet Sabharwal, a Line Training Captain with 8,200 hours of flying experience, and First Officer Clive Kundar, with 1,100 hours of flying experience. The crash occurred around 1:40 PM, as reported by PTI.