An Air India flight departing from Hong Kong for New Delhi landed safely back in the SAR on Monday after the pilot reportedly decided to circle back over a suspected mechanical problem.

Flight AI315 was back at Chek Lap Kok less than an hour after taking off.

Indian media reported that the pilot detected a possible technical issue in mid-air for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

"[The cockpit] requested local standby at around 1pm today," the Hong Kong Airport Authority said in a statement.

"The flight landed safely at around 1.15pm. The airport operations were not affected."

The incident comes days after an Air India flight to London, using the same type of Boeing aircraft, crashed in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad moments after take-off.

All 242 people but one on board were killed. In total, at least 270 people were killed as Air India flight 171 crashed in a residential area. (Additional reporting from Reuters)