AI Dreamliner may return tonight after being repaired

The windshield of Air India Dreamliner which developed a crack while landing at the airport in Melbourne is expected to return Delhi tonight after being repaired, officials said.

The windshield of AI-311 operating on Delhi-Melbourne-Sydney route with 80 passengers and 12 crew members onboard, cracked as the plane landed at Melbourne airport on Monday.

"The jet is being currently fixed with a new windshield," Madhu Mathen, Air India's local manager, told PTI. "It was a minor incident and there was no panic or threat in the flight," Mathen said.

Meanwhile, sources said that the damaged aircraft is expected to return Delhi tonight after being repaired. Mathen said that the aircraft normally have multiple layers and such things can happen to any aircraft anywhere.

He said though it was difficult to know the reason for the crack right now, but it could be because of rapid change in atmosphere. He, however, said that Air India Dreamliner flight from Melbourne to Delhi left today on its normal schedule.

"Delhi bound flight left this morning from Melbourne as per its normal time," he added. The incident is the latest in a string of mishaps this year involving the state-of-the-art plane.

Last month, another AI Dreamliner flight to New Delhi with about 200 passengers on board returned to MelbourneAirport after taking off due to a technical snag.

The jet was later fixed and resumed the flight next day.