An Air India flight from London to Delhi was delayed after it returned to the gate shortly after taxiing, when it was discovered that a passenger who had been marked as boarded had failed to enter the aircraft.
An Air India flight from Londonโs Heathrow Airport to New Delhi was forced to return to the gate after taxiing when the airline discovered a passenger had not actually boarded the aircraft despite being marked as present.
Passenger went to arrivals instead of departure gateย
The incident occurred on Sunday (local time) aboard Air India flight AI 162, which was already delayed by approximately 45 minutes. The aircraft had begun taxiing for departure when the crew discovered the discrepancy, a passengerโs boarding pass had been scanned, but the individual was not on board. According to Air India, the passenger had mistakenly entered the arrivals area at the airport instead of proceeding to the correct departure gate after the boarding pass was scanned. This error led the system to incorrectly mark them as having boarded the aircraft.
Aircraft returns for security check and baggage offloadย
The flight crew made the decision to return to the gate to follow mandatory aviation security protocols. According to global safety regulations, if a checked-in passenger fails to board the flight, their luggage must be removed before the aircraft can take off. โFlight AI 162, operating from London (Heathrow) to Delhi on September 21, 2025, returned to the gate shortly after pushback because a passenger who, despite having their boarding pass scanned and being marked as boarded, failed to board the aircraft,โ said an Air India spokesperson.
โThe aircraft returned to offload the passengerโs baggage and subsequently departed with a delay,โ the spokesperson added, emphasizing that the flight crew followed standard procedures to ensure safety compliance.
Passenger detained for questioningย
Following the incident, the passenger was detained by Heathrow Airport security officials for questioning. While there was no malicious intent suspected, the breach triggered standard safety procedures and an investigation.
Airline expresses regret over delayย
Air India issued a statement expressing regret over the inconvenience caused to passengers. โOur flight crew followed the necessary procedures, and the decision to return was made to ensure compliance with security regulations. We regret the delay in the flightโs departure caused by this incident,โ the airline said.