Air India sent a replacement aircraft to Magadan, Russia, on Wednesday, where 216 passengers and 16 crew have been stranded since Tuesday. Their aircraft experienced an engine issue and was diverted to the remote Russian town.
In a statement, the Tata group airline said, “Our ferry flight AI195 from Mumbai (BOM) to Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne, and is expected to arrive at GDX at 0630 Hours (local time) on 08 June 2023.” The ferry flight would then take passengers and crew of AI173 onward to San Francisco.
An Air India team is on board the flight to provide any support that the passengers and staff at GDX may require. The ferry flight is carrying essentials and sufficient food for all passengers on the onward flight scheduled from GDX to San Francisco (SFO).
Earlier, the airline had confirmed that all passengers were being housed in makeshift accommodation in Magadan, “after making sincere attempts to accommodate passengers in hotels locally with the help of local government authorities,” given the infrastructural limitations around the remote airport.
Air India stated that they do not have any staff based in the remote town of Magadan or in Russia, and all ground support is being provided through liaison with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India), local ground handlers, and the Russian authorities.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is in touch with Air India and is closely monitoring the situation. The United States is also closely watching the situation, considering the strained relationship with Russia and the possibility of US citizens being among the stranded passengers.
The US State Department’s Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said, “We are aware of a US-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely.” Patel added that Air India is sending a replacement aircraft to the destination to have the passengers continue their route.
Neither Air India nor MoCA have commented on the nationalities of the stranded passengers. There was also no word on when the snag-hit aircraft is likely to be repaired and brought back to India, which could become complicated due to US and European Union sanctions on export of aviation machinery to Russia.
