NEW DELHI – An Air India flight from Delhi to San Francisco made an emergency landing in Russia on Thursday after the crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area, the airline announced. This marks the second such incident on this route within just over a year.
Despite many U.S. and European Union airlines avoiding Russian airspace due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, Air India continues to use the route, which offers advantages in flying time and cost for U.S.-bound flights.
The Boeing 777 aircraft, carrying 225 passengers and 19 crew members, safely landed in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk International Airport. Air India stated that they are concerned about the passengers and staff and are working to operate a ferry flight as soon as possible.
After the landing, the crew was moved to hotels, but passengers remained in the international departure area, which led to frustration. Mayank Gupta, whose mother was on the flight, expressed his anger on social media, stating that her medicines and luggage were left on the plane. Another passenger posted on social media about the struggle to access food and water, sharing a photo of passengers sleeping on the floor inside the airport.
In response to the situation, representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow traveled to Krasnoyarsk overnight. They are collaborating with Russian authorities to facilitate moving passengers to hotels, which have been on standby.
The airport indicated that the plane landed due to an activated smoke detector. Air India has obtained regulatory clearances for a relief flight scheduled to depart from Mumbai at 11 a.m. India time (0530 GMT) on Friday to evacuate the stranded passengers.
Following the incident, Russia’s civil aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, confirmed that the aircraft taxied to a parking spot after landing without any signs of fire or smoke on board. Boeing and the U.S. State Department deferred to Air India for further comments on the incident.
Due to Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, Russia has banned many foreign carriers from its airspace. Consequently, many airlines have altered their routes, avoiding Russian airspace. United Airlines, for instance, has canceled many non-stop U.S.-India flights because of these restrictions.
In a similar incident in June 2023, an Air India Boeing plane on the same route was stranded for a day after reporting a technical issue. Passengers, including U.S. citizens, were housed in makeshift accommodations at Russia’s remote Magadan airport until Air India sent another aircraft the following day to retrieve them.
