An Air India pilot turned back his Delhi-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to Hong Kong airport as a precaution shortly after taking off on Monday, citing a technical issue, Indian media reported. Flight tracking data showed the pilot turning Flight AI315 around less than 30 minutes into the flight from Hong Kong.

An Air India flight from Delhi to Zurich was delayed on Sunday due to mandatory checks on Boeing 787-8 aircraft, resulting in its late arrival in Switzerland close to the night curfew, sources said on Monday.

The passenger jet - the same type as the aircraft involved in last week's tragedy - was bound for New Delhi but landed back in Hong Kong about an hour after take-off.