A Mumbai-bound Boeing 777 was forced to turn back to the national capital on Monday morning after a critical engine failure, marking the latest in a series of technical scares for the airline.
An Air India flight carrying about 335 passengers and crew had to make an emergency landing at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday (22 December) after its right engine suffered a catastrophic drop in oil pressure shortly after takeoff. Flight AI887, operated by a Boeing 777-300ER, was in the air for nearly an hour before the crew managed to bring the wide-body jet back safely.
The trouble started around 6:30 AM while the aircraft was climbing. According to sources at the DGCA, the flight crew noticed a rapid drop in oil pressure in Engine No. 2 (the right engine) during flap retraction. The pressure gauge eventually hit zero, which signals a total lubrication failure and means the pilots have to shut down the engine immediately to prevent fire or the whole thing coming apart.
Following standard procedures, the pilots declared a technical emergency and circled around to burn off extra fuel so they could land at a safer weight. The aircraft (Registration: VT-ALS) touched down safely at 6:52 AM. Air India confirmed everyone got off normally and were given refreshments at the gate while an alternative aircraft (VT-ALP) was prepped to finish the trip to Mumbai.
“The crew operating flight AI887 from Delhi to Mumbai decided to return to Delhi shortly after take-off due to a technical issue as per standard operating procedure… The aircraft landed safely and passengers have disembarked,” an Air India spokesperson said, adding that passenger safety is always the top priority.
“Zero oil pressure is a dire indication of total lubrication failure… Pilots are trained to treat this as an engine-out scenario,” an aviation safety expert explained, pointing out that the Boeing 777 is certified for extended twin-engine operations, meaning it can fly safely on just one engine.
The mid-air scare comes at a tough time for Air India, right as the aviation industry enters the busy winter travel season. It follows a similar engine issue reported last week on an Air India Express flight in Vijayawada, which got cancelled while taxiing. Regulatory data also shows the airline has been under increased scrutiny following a tragic Dreamliner crash in June 2025, which temporarily hurt passenger confidence and led to operational changes within the company.
The DGCA has launched a formal investigation into the engine failure, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation has asked for a detailed report. While preliminary checks of the aircraft’s maintenance records showed no prior red flags with oil consumption, the affected engine will get a complete technical teardown. Passengers finally left for Mumbai on the relief flight around 10:00 AM.
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