India, May 27 -- An Air India flight travelling from Delhi to San Francisco returned to the national capital on Tuesday after remaining airborne for more than eight hours due to a technical issue, the airline confirmed.

Flight AI173, carrying around 230 passengers, safely landed back in Delhi after the crew detected a technical snag during the journey.

According to reports, the aircraft had been flying for over three hours and was inside Chinese airspace when it began diverting back towards Delhi in line with standard safety procedures.

In an official statement, Air India said the aircraft returned "due to a technical issue in accordance with laid down procedures" and added that the plane landed safely.

"The aircraft landed safely and...