Unscheduled landing in Russia by an Air India aircraft headed for the US
The crew of an Air India aircraft that was travelling from Delhi to San
Francisco made an emergency landing in the Russian province of Siberia on
Friday after spotting possible problems in the cargo hold.
It was the second unscheduled landing in Russia by an Air India aircraft
operating on the same route in just over a year.
After the war in Ukraine, many airlines, including those from the United States
and the European Union, avoided flying across Russian airspace; nevertheless,
Air India employs that route, which gives it a flying time and cost advantage
on flights to the United States.
The airline stated in a statement on social media platform X that the Boeing
777, carrying 225 passengers and 19 flight crew, had safely landed at Krasnoyarsk
International Airport and that it was arranging for a replacement flight to San
Francisco.
The aircraft was forced to land due to a smoke detector, the airport stated on
Telegram. In addition, it said that an Air India replacement flight from Delhi
is expected to arrive at 4:15 p.m. (0900 GMT) and depart two hours later for
San Francisco.
Shortly following the incident, the Russian civil aviation regulator,
Rosaviatsiya, posted on the messaging app Telegram that there had been no signs
of smoke or fire inside the aircraft and that it had taxied to a parking spot
when it landed.
The aircraft crew has been moved to hotels, and passengers are in the
international departure area, according to the airport.
Regarding the event, Boeing and an official from the US State Department sent
questions to Air India.
In response to Western sanctions related to the conflict in Ukraine, Russia
prohibited numerous international airlines from operating in Russian airspace,
and numerous nations and airlines prohibited their aircraft from flying over
all or a portion of Russia.
For several airlines that now have to fly around the largest country in the
world, the bans have forced them to redraw their routes and disrupted their
business models. A lot of United Airlines' nonstop flights from the United
States to India were cancelled as a result.
In June 2023, a Boeing that Air India flew on the same route experienced a
daylong grounding due to a mechanical issue. Travellers on that aircraft,
including Americans, were housed in makeshift accommodations at the remote
Magadan airport in Russia.
Air India sent a jet to rescue the stranded tourists a day later.
0 Comments