New Delhi: A Mumbai-bound Air India flight AI887 returned to the Delhi Airport minutes after take-off due to a technical issue. The Delhi–Mumbai flight made an emergency landing according to standard operating procedure.

As perv an Air India spokesperson, the aircraft (Boeing 777) landed safely at Delhi, and the passengers and crew disembarked.

The Boeing 777 suffered an engine issue soon after take-off, reported The Times of India. The aircraft reportedly took off at 6.10 am and returned to the airport at 6.52 am. The aircraft is currently undergoing necessary checks.

As per the report, the airline arranged another B777 (VT-ALP) for passengers and even provided refreshments for them.

On Sunday, over 100 flights were cancelled from the Delhi Airport due to dense fog conditions in the national capital. Meanwhile, more than 400 flights were also delayed at the airport.

Over the past few days, most parts of the nothern and northwestern regions of the country are witnessing dense fog condition.

“Dense to very dense fog conditions during night/morning hours very likely in some parts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana till morning hours of 21st; in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana during 25th-27,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had said in its press statement on Sunday.

On Friday also, an Air India flight travelling from Mumbai to Varanasi was forced to make an emergency diversion to Bhubaneswar after deteriorating weather conditions made landing at the destination airport unsafe. The aircraft landed at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) as a precautionary measure, airline officials confirmed.

Mumbai, Dec 22: Indian benchmark indices opened in green zone on Monday, breaking the last week’s trend of edging lower, amid strong buying in the US and China markets.

As of 9.30 am, the Sensex advanced 507 points, or 0.60 per cent, at 84,436 and the Nifty added 165 points, or 0.64 per cent to 26,132.

The broad cap indices performed in line with the benchmarks, with the Nifty Midcap 100 up 0.58 per cent and the Nifty Smallcap 100 adding 0.51 per cent.

Hindalco, Tech Mahindra and TCS were among the major gainers in the Nifty Pack, while losers included Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Max Healthcare and Cipla.

All the sectoral indices on NSE were trading in the green with metal, IT and media being the major gainers — up around 1.48, 1.23 and 0.77 per cent, respectively.

Analysts noted that market is likely heading for a year-end rally. The rupee’s sharp reversal and FIIs’ cash market purchases can accelerate this rally, as they lead to short covering, pushing benchmark indices higher. The Goldilocks domestic economic set up and potential earnings growth uptrend can support a market upturn, they added.

The US markets ended mostly in the green zone on the last trading day, as Nasdaq advanced 1.31 per cent, the S&P 500 edged up 0.88 per cent, and the Dow moved up 0.38 per cent.

As investors parsed China’s central bank keeping loan prime rate steady, Asia-Pacific markets rose on Monday.

The People’s Bank of China maintained its 1-year and 5-year loan prime rates steady, which affects most new and outstanding loans and mortgages.

In Asian markets, China’s Shanghai index advanced 0.64 per cent, and Shenzhen dropped 1.36 per cent, Japan’s Nikkei edged up 1.75 per cent, while Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index added 0.29 per cent. South Korea’s Kospi added 1.72 per cent.

On Friday, foreign institutional investors (FIIs) sold equities worth Rs 2,387 crore, while domestic institutional investors (DIIs) were net buyers of equities worth Rs 5,200 crore.

Mumbai: woke up to what initially appeared to be an ideal winter morning on Monday, with clear blue skies, cool temperatures and light winds offering brief relief from the city’s otherwise relentless humidity. However, the pleasant start did not last long, as a thin layer of haze soon enveloped large parts of the city, reducing visibility and once again drawing attention to Mumbai’s worsening air quality.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had predicted a bright and comfortable day, with minimum and maximum temperatures expected to hover between 20°C and 33°C. While weather conditions remained favourable, residents stepping out early were met with hazy surroundings and a faintly acrid smell in the air. Commuters, morning walkers and schoolchildren experienced reduced visibility across several areas, dampening what should have been a refreshing winter day.

Data from air quality monitoring platform AQI.in showed that Mumbai’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 181 in the early hours, placing the city in the ‘poor’ category. Although this marked a slight improvement compared to the severe pollution levels recorded towards the end of last month, the air remained unhealthy, especially for vulnerable groups such as children, senior citizens and people suffering from respiratory conditions.

The persistent pollution is largely due to dust and fine particulate matter generated by extensive construction activity across the city. Multiple large-scale infrastructure projects, including metro rail corridors, flyovers, coastal road works and road-widening initiatives, along with ongoing private real estate development, continue to add majorly to Mumbai’s pollution burden.

Several areas recorded alarmingly high AQI levels, emerging as major pollution hotspots. Chembur reported an AQI of 304, categorised as ‘severe’, posing serious health risks even to healthy individuals. The Wadala Truck Terminal and Chembur registered AQI levels of 253 and 237 respectively, both falling under the ‘unhealthy’ category. Deonar recorded an AQI of 227, while Govandi stood at 217.

In comparison, some suburban areas showed relatively better air quality, though conditions remained far from ideal. Kandivali East recorded an AQI of 63 and Parel-Bhoiwada 98, both falling in the ‘moderate’ category. However, areas such as Jogeshwari East recorded 110, while Charkop and Sion reported AQI levels of 117 and 160 respectively, slipping back into the ‘poor’ bracket.

As per standard classifications, AQI levels between 0 and 50 are considered ‘good’, 51 to 100 ‘moderate’, 101 to 150 ‘poor’, 151 to 200 ‘unhealthy’, and above 200 ‘hazardous’. With several parts of Mumbai nearing or crossing unhealthy thresholds, concerns are mounting over long-term health impacts if pollution levels remain unchecked.