Air India sending ferry flight to Russia for stranded passengers
What's the story
Air India said on Wednesday that it is sending a ferry flight to Russia, where 216 passengers en route to San Francisco were stranded due to a technical issue on its flight on Tuesday. While the Centre assured all possible assistance, the United States (US) said it is closely monitoring the situation following the emergency landing of the flight with US passengers in Russia.
Context
Why does this story matter?
On Tuesday, Air India said that its aircraft (AI173) from Delhi to San Francisco had been diverted to Russia's Magadan area due to a technical issue. This sparked an alarm in the US, prompting officials to react quickly because many of the stranded passengers are US citizens. Notably, the US has been at odds with Russia since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.
Details
Replacement aircraft was delayed due to regulatory concerns: Report
According to NDTV, a replacement plane scheduled to fly to Russia's Magadan on Wednesday to pick up trapped passengers was delayed due to regulatory concerns. Several stranded passengers are reportedly being accommodated in dorms since hotels in the area are unable to accommodate everyone on the aircraft due to Magadan's distant location of over 10,000 kilometers from Russia's capital Moscow.
Official
Air India issued statement about relief aircraft
In a statement, Air India stated that it will deploy a relief aircraft from Mumbai at 1:00pm IST on Wednesday with food and other essentials for the passengers of AI173. They will then be flown to San Francisco. It further stated that they are assisting travelers with the assistance of the local authorities and the Indian Embassy in Russia.
Twitter Post
Check Air India's full statement here
Important Update regarding AI 173 Delhi to SFO pic.twitter.com/DibzwCoGU4
— Air India (@airindia) June 7, 2023
Civil Aviation
US State Department says 'closely monitoring' situation
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said it was in touch with the airline authorities over the situation after the emergency landing. The US added that it is "closely monitoring" the situation but provided no other information. "I'm not able to confirm how many US citizens were aboard the flight at this time," said US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel.
Concern
The challenge to fly over Russian airspace
According to reports, Air India's flights toward the US West Coast while flying east over the Pacific Ocean give the carrier a massive advantage over other airlines that cannot presently operate over Russian airspace following the Russia-Ukraine crisis. However, this comes with a set of challenges. Emergency or precautionary landings in remote Russian airports means a huge problem due to the unavailability of infrastructure.
Twitter Post
Watch: Video of stranded passengers struggling in makeshift accommodation
Yesterday, @AirIndia flight 173 from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Magadan, in rural Russia w/ over 220, mostly elderly, passengers.
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) June 7, 2023
Sat in plane for 6 hrs & after 18 hrs now, no word from Air India, @MEAIndia.
Here is a just taken video from a jittery passenger : pic.twitter.com/n6qymnvXrc