New Delhi (PTI): A Vancouver-bound Air India Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft, after being airborne for over seven hours, returned to the national capital on Thursday evening after it was found that the plane was not approved for operating the flight, according to sources.

An apparent lapse in updating the list of requirements for the operation of flights to Canada resulted in the situation, where a wrong aircraft was deployed for the particular service, sources said.

Without providing specific details, Air India, in a statement on Friday, said the aircraft had landed safely at the Delhi airport.

The flight was operated with Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft VT-AEI and was airborne for over seven hours. The plane turned back to Delhi when it was in the Chinese airspace, according to information available on the flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

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"Air India flight AI185, operating from Delhi to Vancouver on 19 March, returned to Delhi due to an operational issue and in line with established standard operating procedures. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew had disembarked," the airline said in a statement.

The sources said the flight should have been operated only with a Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft, and there was no approval for flying the Boeing 777-200 LR plane.

There are various approvals required for operating flights to foreign destinations, and those depend on each country.

Meanwhile, Air India also said the flight departed for Vancouver with the passengers on Friday morning.

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Bengaluru: Ahead of the upcoming Good Friday festival weekend, the South Western Railway has announced a one-trip special train service between Yesvantpur Junction and Kannur via Mangaluru Junction.

According to an official released from the SWR, Train Number 06551 Yesvantpur–Kannur Express Special will depart Yesvantpur at 11.50 am on April 2 and is scheduled to arrive Kannur at 3.00 am on April 3.

In the return direction, Train Number 06552 Kannur–Yesvantpur Express Special will leave Kannur at 8.45 am on April 3 and reach Yesvantpur at 9.30 pm the same day.

The special train will halt at Kunigal, Channarayapatna, Hassan, Sakleshpura, Subrahmanya Road, Kabaka Puttur, Bantawala, Mangaluru Junction, Kasaragod, Kanhangad and Payyannur.

The train composition will have two AC two-tier coaches, six AC three-tier coaches, seven sleeper class coaches, four general second class coaches.