New Delhi, March 21 -- A Vancouver-bound Air India flight from Delhi, operated by a Boeing 777 200LR aircraft, was forced to return to Delhi on Thursday evening after flying for over seven hours, as it was found that the aircraft deployed for the service was not approved for operations to Canada, people aware of the matter said. An alleged lapse in updating operational requirements led to the wrong aircraft being assigned to the flight, they said. "Air India flight AI185, operating from Delhi to Vancouver on March 19 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 (safely)," an Air India spokesperson said on Friday adding that the flight departed for Vancouver on Friday morning, but did not give details. The spokesperson said that the airline's ground teams in Delhi had provided all necessary assistance, including offering hotel accommodation, while every effort was made to fly the passengers to their destination at the earliest. According to Flightradar24, the flight, which operated with a Boeing 777-200LR (VT-AEI), turned back while flying over Chinese airspace after being airborne for roughly four hours. "The flight should have been operated using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which has the necessary approvals for operations to Canada," an official said, adding, "This aircraft wasn't allowed to operate into Canada because the approvals are specific to certain variants like the Boeing 300ER." Another official said, "You can't just send a different aircraft, for instance one cannot operate a B777 200LR or a B787 without prior clearance, since airport infrastructure, ground handling, and parking gates are configured accordingly." Operating international flights requires multiple clearances that vary by destination country, including aircraft-specific approvals linked to infrastructure and regulatory requirements, the official said. Officials also pointed to the financial implications of the incident. "The aircraft was airborne for about seven to eight hours. Fuel burn alone would be significant...Add to that passenger accommodation and the opportunity cost, and the total loss could run into a few crores," the person said....