A long-haul international flight was forced to divert mid-Atlantic after an unusual and unexplained noise inside the cabin prompted concern among passengers and crew.
On March 16th 2026, an Air India Airbus A350-900, registration VT-JRF, operating flight AI-102 from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Delhi with 240 people on board, was cruising at FL330 over the Atlantic Ocean.
The aircraft was approximately 270 nautical miles southwest of Shannon when the crew reported an unusual and unidentified noise within the cabin. The sound was described as irritating and persistent, causing concern among passengers.
According to available information, the flight crew spent around 30 minutes attempting to identify the source of the noise. During that time, they carried out troubleshooting procedures, including shutting down various aircraft systems, but were unable to locate the cause.
As a precaution, the pilots decided to divert to Shannon Airport. The aircraft descended and landed safely on runway 24 approximately 50 minutes after the diversion decision.
Passengers later reported that the issue appeared to begin after the aircraft encountered turbulence. Some described vibrations originating from the rear of the cabin, spreading forward, and later being محسوس in the upper cabin areas as well.
The airline stated that a suspected technical issue prompted the diversion, though the exact cause of the noise had not yet been identified at the time.
Following the landing, the aircraft remained on the ground in Shannon about six hours after arrival while engineers began inspections to determine the source of the noise and vibrations.