Magadan is more than 10,000 kilometers from the Russian capital, Moscow.
New Delhi:
The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced today that a rescue plane will leave Mumbai for Magadan, Russia at 1pm to carry stranded Air India passengers to San Francisco. An Air India flight from New Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Magadan on Tuesday after it developed an engine problem.
A replacement flight to Russia’s Magadan to rescue stranded passengers on Wednesday was delayed as Air India officials grapple with regulatory issues for the flight.
NDTV reported that several Air India passengers stranded in remote Magadan, more than 10,000 kilometers from the Russian capital Moscow, were staying in dormitories because hotels in the area could not accommodate all the passengers on the plane. I knew there was
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said today that it is closely monitoring developments in Russia’s frontier cities.
“Aviation Minister Jyotiradhitya Scindia is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with the airlines,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Air India has dispatched a rescue aircraft B777-200LR VT-ALF as a ferry carrying personnel and supplies for the recovery of VT-ALH. The VT-ALF aircraft will carry passengers from Magadan to San Francisco International Airport. VT Provisional Departure – ALF from Mumbai will arrive at 1pm (IST) today.
“Air India has informed us that it is taking care of the passengers.The local government is assisting with the accommodation.The passengers have been transferred to a school near the airport. The Indian embassy has also been contacted to provide food and essentials.”
Air India’s flights eastward across the Pacific into the West Coast of the United States give the airline a significant advantage over other airlines that currently cannot operate in Russian airspace. However, this comes with its own set of challenges, which Air India recognizes.
Air India management recognizes that emergency or precautionary landings on a Boeing 777-200LR with more than 200 passengers at remote Russian airports could be potentially problematic This is a scenario where the infrastructure available on the ground is a major concern.
The United States, meanwhile, said it was “closely monitoring” the situation.
“We are aware that a US-bound flight had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor the situation closely. I cannot confirm,” he said. Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson for the ministry, said:
“It was a flight to the United States, so naturally there is a high probability that there are Americans on board. There are official reports that Air India is sending a replacement plane to the United States, as I understand it. “Passengers can continue their route to their destination, but anything beyond that is at the discretion of the airline,” Patel added.
The Air India flight was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members.
