Mumbai: An Air India flight en route from Mumbai to Chennai was forced to return shortly after takeoff late Friday night due to a burning smell detected inside the cabin, according to a report by news agency ANI.

Flight AI 639 safely landed back in Mumbai, the airline confirmed.

"The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and an aircraft change was initiated. Our ground colleagues in Mumbai provided all necessary support to passengers to minimise the inconvenience caused by this unforeseen disruption," an Air India spokesperson said.

Passenger Utsav Tiwari shared his experience on social media, noting that the flight departed at 11.50 pm.

Around 45 minutes into the journey, the captain announced the decision to return due to a technical issue.

"We touched down safely around 12.47 am," he said.