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Indian embassy's big update after New Delhi-San Francisco Air India flight diverted to Russia
Air India's flight AI183 from New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted towards Russia after a technical glitch.
Air India said on Friday that regulatory clearances were obtained for a relief flight from Mumbai to Russia's Krasnoyarsk, where 225 passengers and 19 members of a flight to San Francisco were stranded. The Indian Embassy in Moscow said three senior officials and an interpreter are on ground in Krasnoyarsk to assist the passengers.
“An Embassy team of three senior officials and interpreter is on ground in Krasnoyarsk to assist the passengers of Air India flight to San Francisco which made emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk last night,” the embassy said.
It added: “The team is coordinating with airport and security authorities and Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry to provide all possible assistance to the passengers. The team will stay on ground in Krasnoyarsk till Air India’s replacement plane arrives and takes the passengers on their onward journey.”
In a statement, Air India said, “Regulatory clearances have been obtained for a relief flight that will depart Mumbai at 11:00 hrs IST and ferry the guests out of Krasnoyarsk International Airport later today.”
Air India had diverted flight AI183 from New Delhi to San Francisco towards Russia after a technical glitch.
The flight made a precautionary landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai on Thursday after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area.
In Friday's statement, Air India said its local support was assisting passengers, who were required by authorities to remain in the terminal building in the absence of Russian visas.
It also added that representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow have travelled overnight and working together with Russian authorities to facilitate the moving of passengers to hotels.
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“Food and beverage amenities at the terminal, which were closed for the evening, have now opened and meals are being provided to all passengers. Representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow have travelled overnight and are working with Russian authorities to allow passengers to move to hotels, which have been on standby throughout the night,” the airlines said.
In a similar incident last year, an Air India fight on the same route had suffered technical problems and had to be diverted to Russia's remote town Magadan.
The Boeing 777-200 LR aircraft was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew at the time. Its passengers were then shifted to makeshift accommodation in a school, where they remained for two days.
A replacement flight, carrying food and other essentials, was subsequently sent from Mumbai. The ferry flight later took the passengers to San Francisco.
