Air India Express flight to Phuket returns to Hyderabad after technical issue

An Air India Express flight from Hyderabad to Phuket was forced to return shortly after take-off on Saturday (July 19, 2025) morning reportedly due to a technical issue.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, operating as flight IX 110, departed from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) at 6.40 a.m., was airborne for only about 17 minutes before it began descending. According to flight tracking data from FlightRadar24, the aircraft had reached an altitude of over 10,000 feet before initiating a return to base. It landed safely back in Hyderabad at 6.57 a.m.

The airport officials confirmed that the return was prompted by a technical problem detected after take-off. There has been no official statement from Air India Express as of now regarding the nature of the issue.

Passengers aboard the flight took to social media platform X to express frustration and concern. “Flight IX110 en route Hyderabad to Phuket returns after take-off. It is frustrating as there has not been any update and we are still waiting in the plane for further information,” wrote one user, adding that an airline staff member later informed passengers they would be transferred to another aircraft.

Another passenger described the situation as very scary, stating, “Not sure exactly what’s going on with Air India Express planes. We boarded the 737 MAX 8 from Hyderabad to Phuket, flew for barely 10 minutes, and then returned. It’s a very, very scary experience.”

Data from FlightRadar24 indicated that another aircraft departed from Hyderabad at 1.26 p.m. and is currently en route to Phuket.