Delhi-Bound Air India Plane Returns To London Airport From Taxiway As Flier Fails To Board

Delhi-Bound Air India Flight Returns to London After Passenger Fails to Board

Representational Image

Mumbai:

An Air India aircraft bound for Delhi was forced to return to London Heathrow airport while taxiing for takeoff on Sunday after discovering that a passenger with a scanned boarding pass had not actually boarded the plane.

Sources revealed that flight AI 162 was already experiencing a delay of approximately 45 minutes before proceeding to the taxiway.

During the taxiing process, crew members became aware that one passenger, whose boarding pass had been processed, was not present on the aircraft.

"Flight AI 162, operating from London (Heathrow) to Delhi on September 21, 2025, returned to the gate shortly after pushback because a passenger who, despite having their boarding pass scanned and being marked as boarded, failed to board the aircraft. The passenger had mistakenly proceeded to the arrivals area instead of the departure gate after having their boarding pass scanned at the gate," explained an Air India spokesperson in an official statement.

"As per standard security protocols, the aircraft returned to offload the passenger's baggage and, subsequently, departed with a delay. The passenger was detained by the airport security officials for questioning.

"Our flight crew followed the necessary procedures, and the decision to return was made to ensure compliance with security regulations. We regret the delay in the flight's departure caused by this incident," the spokesperson added.

The total number of passengers on the aircraft at the time of the incident could not be immediately confirmed.