New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Air India on Monday said that its flight from San Francisco to Delhi, via Kolkata, made a precautionary landing in Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue.

The airline said that the incident occurred when flight AI174, on November 2, operating from San Francisco to Delhi via Kolkata, “made a precautionary landing at Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, after the flight crew suspected a technical issue en route”.

“The aircraft landed safely at Ulaanbaatar and is undergoing the necessary checks. We are working closely with our partners to support all passengers while we make efforts to get everyone on their way to the destination at the earliest opportunity,” an Air India spokesperson said.

Air India said it “regrets the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the unforeseen situation. At Air India, the safety of passengers and crew remains a top priority”.

Meanwhile, Air India has been granted a temporary extension of flight duty time for two-pilot Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes flying on European routes, which have become longer due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said last week.

The extension was based on specific operational reasons linked to planes on European routes having to undertake longer flight paths following the shutdown of Pakistan’s airspace, according to the civil aviation regulator.

For two-pilot Boeing 787 operations, the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) has been extended to 10 hours and 30 minutes from 10 hours, and the Flight Duty Period (FDP) increased to 14 hours from 13 hours. The DGCA clarified that the extension of up to 30 minutes in flight time and up to one hour in FDP will apply only in cases where duty periods extend after departure and not during flight planning.

–IANS

na/vd