Unscheduled landing in Russia by an Air India aircraft headed for the US

19/7/2024,

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.