On Tuesday, an Air India flight from Delhi to San Francisco was forced to make a detour in Russia. It was due to a technical problem with one of the aircraft’s engines. The flight was made to land at Russia’s Magadan airport, located in the country’s far east. This San Francisco-bound flight, AI173, was carrying 216 people on board, along with 16 crew members. The airline revealed that a backup flight will be run on Wednesday to transport the passengers to San Francisco.
US Is Monitoring The Air India Flight Diversion
With respect to this situation, the US has claimed that it is keeping an eye on it. The state department spokesperson, Vedant Patel, shared that the authorities are aware of the US-bound flight that made an emergency landing in Russia. He further shared that they are closely monitoring the situation.
They are sure that American passengers were on board the flight, but they are not sure of the number. As per the reports by CNN, the spokesperson shared that the US could possibly take action to assess the number of American travellers on the aircraft.
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A Replacement Flight Will Fly The Passengers From Russia To San Francisco
Important Update regarding AI 173 Delhi to SFO pic.twitter.com/DibzwCoGU4
— Air India (@airindia) June 7, 2023
On Wednesday, Air India issued a statement via Twitter and assured everyone that accommodation arrangements were made for the passengers and crew of AI173 in local hotels in Magadan. The airline has been in constant contact with the Ministry of External Affairs, the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, and Russian authorities. As per the statement released by the airline, an alternative Air India craft will be used to transport passengers from Magadan to San Francisco on June 7, 2023.
A ferry flight will take off from Mumbai at 1300 hours and will further fly the passengers from Russia to San Francisco. The spokesperson for the airline also stated that the authorities are cooperating in every way to ensure the safety of every passenger. They will make sure that everyone reaches their destination as soon as possible. It is worth noting that even though Russian airspace has been declared out of bounds for many Western nations. However, some airlines, like Air India, still fly over the country.
The Russian aviation regulator, Rosaviation, revealed on Tuesday that the airline received permission to land a reserve aircraft at Russia’s Magadan airport.
Cover Image Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons