Air India says all passengers, crew safe after US-bound flight diverted to Russia

Air India has said that all passengers and crew members on its flight AI-183 from New Delhi to San Francisco, which made an emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport (KJA) in Russia, are safe. The Boeing 777 aircraft landed safely, and no injuries have been reported among the passengers or crew.

The flight had to be rerouted after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area.

The statement by Air India read: "The aircraft landed safely at KJA with all 225 passengers and 19 members of the flight crew, who have now disembarked and have been taken to the terminal building for further processing," the statement said.

"As Air India does not have its own staff at KJA, we are arranging for third-party support to provide all necessary assistance to passengers. Air India is also in liaison with government agencies and regulatory authorities, and we are making arrangements for a ferry flight to KJA to take passengers onwards to San Francisco at the earliest," the statement said.

The passengers have been provided with food, accommodation and necessary assistance and Air India is working closely with Russian authorities to ensure the well-being and comfort of all onboard during this unexpected stop.

The flight was diverted to Krasnoyarsk in the Siberian region of Russia to make a precautionary landing on Thursday night. Rosaviatsiya, Russia's civil aviation agency, also confirmed the landing of the aircraft on Telegram stating the aircraft had taxied to a parking spot after landing and there had been no signs of a fire or smoke onboard.

This was the second time in a little over a year that a San Francisco-bound flight was being diverted to Siberia, the last being in June 2023 when an Air India Boeing plane on the same route was stranded for a day after reporting a technical issue. The passengers were put up at a makeshift accommodation at Russia's remote Magadan airport. Air India sent an aircraft a day later to pick up the stranded passengers.

Though many U.S. and European Union carriers do not fly over Russian airspace following the war in Ukraine, Air India does. The route is economical for Air India.