Air India Ltd. said it was sending a replacement aircraft with food and essentials for passengers stranded in the far east of Russia after one of its flights from New Delhi to San Francisco made an emergency landing due to a malfunctioning engine.
(Bloomberg) — Air India Ltd. said it was sending a replacement aircraft with food and essentials for passengers stranded in the far east of Russia after one of its flights from New Delhi to San Francisco made an emergency landing due to a malfunctioning engine.
A ferry flight will operate from Mumbai to Magadan, departing at 1 p.m. India time, the airline said in a statement Wednesday. It will then carry the 216 passengers and 16 crew to San Francisco.
An Air India Boeing Co. 777-200LR jet was forced to divert to the Russian port town to the north of Japan due to a technical glitch with one of its General Electric Co. engines. Passengers on AI173, which left Delhi on June 6, were shifted to makeshift accommodation, the airline said.
Air India didn’t immediately respond to questions on how many US citizens were on the flight or how the stranded jet will be removed from Russia. Sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine make it difficult for airlines to send Western parts to the country.
Earlier this week, United Airlines Holdings Inc. Chief Executive Officer Scott Kirby said flying over Russia created a risk that his airline won’t take. He highlighted concerns for the safety of US citizens or the possibility of being forced to land in Russia for a variety of reasons.
With no staff based in Russia, “ground support being provided to the passengers is the best possible in this unusual circumstance,” Air India said, adding that it was working with the Indian Consulate General in Vladivostok, India’s Ministry of External Affairs, local ground handlers and Russian authorities.
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