One of Air India's Delhi-Hong Kong flights had a mid-air technical problem on 1 June, when a door on the Boeing 787-8 aircraft started shaking and making hissing and growling sounds, and cabin crew resorted to stuffing a visible gap with paper napkins.
Delhi-bound flight AI-314 took off at 11:45 pm, more than an hour late. Around an hour into the flight, passengers heard strange creaks coming from a door, indicating some sort of problem with the door seal in air pressure.
In reaction, flight attendants allegedly forced napkins into a small gap at the top of the door and pressed down to reduce the sound and vibration.
Notwithstanding the disturbing turn of events, the plane remained on course and safely landed in Hong Kong. There were no reports of injuries.
The situation is reminiscent of similar incidents for the Boeing 787 model. In 2019, a Japan Airlines Dreamliner had a noisy door during flight.
The situation recurred in 2022 in two incidents for German operator TUI Airlines and American Airlines, where flights were diverted to their point of origin airports as a precautionary measure.
Aviation specialists point out that although such incidents can appear dire to fliers, they are not a serious safety concern. Plane doors are designed to be firmly closed at cruising height because of cabin pressure and it is practically impossible for them to open in flight.
This development is the latest following increased scrutiny on the Boeing 787 after the fatal crash of a Dreamliner on 12 June near Ahmedabad that killed 275 people. But the door incident on the Hong Kong-bound flight had taken place before the tragedy.
Air India CEO and Managing Director Campbell Wilson spoke on Thursday to address issues relating to the maintenance of the airline's fleet.
He said that the plane in use during the Hong Kong flight was "well-maintained" and its last heavy check had been done in June 2023 and was due for the next in December 2025. The right engine had been overhauled in March 2025 and the left engine had been checked in April 2025. There were no technical faults found before the flight.
After the crash at Ahmedabad, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation directed Air India to perform rigorous checks on its fleet of 33 Boeing 787 planes.
Wilson said 26 planes have since been cleared for flight. The rest of the planes, which are going through scheduled maintenance, will be released only after further checks are done.
He stated that the carrier's short-term move to cut back on widebody flights by 15 per cent is a precautionary step to provide passengers with safety while the inspections are ongoing.
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