Moscow: Air India announced on Friday that it has secured regulatory clearances for a relief flight from Mumbai to Krasnoyarsk, Russia, to assist the 225 passengers and 19 crew members stranded after their flight to San Francisco was diverted. The Indian Embassy in Moscow confirmed that three senior officials and an interpreter are on-site in Krasnoyarsk to support the stranded individuals.
“An Embassy team of three senior officials and an interpreter is on ground in Krasnoyarsk to assist the passengers of Air India flight to San Francisco which made an emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk last night,” stated the embassy.
The embassy added, “The team is coordinating with airport and security authorities and representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry to provide all possible assistance to the passengers. The team will stay on the ground in Krasnoyarsk until Air India’s replacement plane arrives to continue the passengers’ journey.”
In its statement, Air India noted, “Regulatory clearances have been obtained for a relief flight that will depart Mumbai at 11:00 hrs IST and transport the passengers out of Krasnoyarsk International Airport later today.” The diversion was prompted by a technical glitch detected in the cargo hold area of flight AI183 from New Delhi to San Francisco.
The flight made a precautionary landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport on Thursday. Air India reported that local support teams were assisting passengers, who were required to remain in the terminal building due to the absence of Russian visas.
The airline also mentioned that representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow had traveled overnight and were collaborating with Russian authorities to facilitate the transfer of passengers to hotels. “Food and beverage amenities at the terminal, which were previously closed, have now reopened, and meals are being provided to all passengers.
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Representatives from the Indian consulate in Moscow are working with Russian authorities to enable passengers to move to hotels, which have been on standby throughout the night,” Air India added.
A similar incident occurred last year when an Air India flight on the same route experienced technical issues and was diverted to Russia’s remote town of Magadan. The Boeing 777-200 LR, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members, required makeshift accommodations in a school for two days before a replacement flight was sent from Mumbai to continue the journey to San Francisco.
