Air India plane lands safely after large panel falls off during flight

DELHI, India, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- Indian aviation officials say they are trying to determine what caused a large panel to fall off the underside of a Dreamliner aircraft while it was in the air.

The panel was lost Saturday during an Air India flight carrying 148 passengers from Delhi to Bengaluru, Press Trust of India reported Tuesday.

The Boeing 787 jetliner landed safely.

An Air India official said the missing panel created "a gaping hole," but that "it was not an emergency. There was no safety problem."

Workers at the Bengaluru airport noticed the 8-foot by 4-foot hole in the cargo section of the Dreamliner while preparing the plane for its return flight.

The return flight was delayed for nine hours as technicians secured a replacement panel to the plane.