New Delhi | After being airborne for over eight hours, a San Francisco-bound Air India plane, carrying around 230 passengers, returned to the national capital due to a technical issue on Wednesday morning, according to sources.

"The aircraft landed safely and will undergo technical inspection in line with Air India's safety standards," the airline said in a statement.

A source said there were around 230 passengers on board the Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft.

"Flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco on May 27 has returned to Delhi due to a technical issue in accordance with the laid down procedures," the airline said.

Information available with the flight-tracking website Flightradar24.com showed that the plane was airborne for over eight hours. The aircraft started diverting back to the national capital after being airborne for over three hours when it was in Chinese airspace.

Regretting the inconvenience caused to the passengers, Air India said it was making alternative arrangements to fly them to their destination as soon as possible.

"In the meantime, our ground teams are providing all necessary assistance to the passengers, including refreshments, hotel accommodation or rescheduling as opted by them," the airline said.