WEBDESK: Two Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes operating United Airlines flights between New York and Delhi faced technical issues and made emergency landings on Monday night.
One aircraft, shortly after taking off from New York, turned back and landed safely due to a mid-air technical fault.
Around the same time, another flight travelling from Delhi to New York was diverted to Boston after the pilot declared an emergency. Both incidents involved the same model of aircraft and raised fresh concerns over the safety of Boeing 787s.
Fresh fears have spread among Indian passengers after two more Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft made emergency landings on Monday.
Both planes were operating on the New York–Delhi route when technical faults forced pilots to change course.
Flight UA 82 took off from New York at around 9:30 PM for Delhi. Just 50 minutes into the flight, the pilot contacted air traffic control and declared a general emergency.
The aircraft, which is around four years old, turned back and safely landed in New York after one hour and 45 minutes in the air.
Around the same time, another United Airlines flight, UA 83, which had earlier taken off from New Delhi, was nearing the end of its 16-hour journey to New York.
While still in the air, the pilot also declared an emergency and diverted the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to Boston, where it landed safely.
As news of both incidents spread online, Indian social media users expressed strong reactions. Many criticised the Boeing 787 for repeated safety problems. One user, Srikant Sharma, wrote “Not a single day goes by without hearing about a problem with the Boeing 787. These Dreamliners should be grounded.”
Following these events, the next scheduled flight from Delhi to New York, UA 83, was cancelled.
In another insatnce, an Air India flight from Delhi to Vienna dropped 900 feet in mid-air shortly after takeoff, setting off stall and ground proximity warnings.
The flight, AI 187, was being operated by a Boeing 777. Although the plane landed safely, both pilots have been taken off duty while an investigation is carried out.
Air India 🇮🇳 flight from Delhi to Vienna plunged 900 feet mid-air shortly after takeoff, prompting stall and ground proximity warnings
— Aviation A2z (@Aviationa2z) July 1, 2025
AI 187, operated by Boeing 777, landed safely, but both pilots have been grounded as investigations are underway
Read: https://t.co/ofnjuHiKVV pic.twitter.com/Xqr0PvARwJ
Just weeks earlier, on 22 June, flight UA 82 on the same New York–Delhi route had to return to New York shortly after take-off due to a technical fault.
Shortly after takeoff the United Airlines flight UA82, pilots of the flight had detected an issue with the electronic cooling system of the plane. They declared an emergency and flew back to New York coming safely after about two hours.
The aircraft had already reached cruising altitude when the issue was found, but it was seen as a potential risk. No passengers were hurt. The airline worked with airport authorities to assist the travelers and organize plans for their onward journeys.
In another serious incident, a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner crashed in Ahmedabad just 30 seconds after takeoff.
These back-to-back events have added to growing concerns over the safety of Boeing 787 aircraft.
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