Air India sending plane ‘with food, essentials’ for passengers stuck in Russia

• AI173 was a widebody Boeing 777 that developed an engine problem and was forced to land in Magadan on Russia’s eastern coast and over 10,000 km from the capital Moscow. 
• Air India will send a replacement plane to ferry 216 passengers and 16 crew. 
• Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is tracking the situation very closely, The US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said “We are continuing to monitor the situation” 
• A Russian ban on some foreign carriers using its airspace, in retaliation for Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, has redrawn air routes and upset business models for some airlines that now need to fly around the world’s largest country. 

Air India will send a replacement plane to ferry 216 passengers and 16 crew stranded in Russia’s Magadan after its Delhi-San Francisco flight developed an issue with one of its engines and was forced to land, the carrier said. The replacement flight will depart from Mumbai, after necessary regulatory clearances’ and ‘will carry food and other essentials for our passengers’, Air India said in a statement issued this morning.

Air India also said limited infrastructure at and around the airport in Magadan which is on Russia’s eastern coast and over 10,000 km from the capital Moscow – meant stranded passengers had been moved to ‘makeshift accommodation after making sincere attempts to accommodate passengers in hotels locally. As we do not have Air India staff based in the remote town of Magadan or in Russia, all ground support being provided to passengers is the best possible in this unusual circumstance.” Air India said. The carrier also said it is working with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok (around 4,900 km from Magadan), the external affairs ministry, Russian authorities, and local officials.

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is tracking the situation very closely, the ministry said this morning, noting that it is in constant touch with the airline. The ministry also said it had been told by AI some passengers had been housed in a school building near the airport.

The plane was a widebody Boeing 777 that developed a problem with one of its engines and was therefore forced to land in Magadan. The aircraft is currently undergoing safety checks. The details of the ‘technical issue’ with the engine have not been revealed.

 The US State Department spokesman Vedant Patel said American citizens were likely on the flight but that he could not confirm the number. “We are continuing to monitor the situation,” he said.

A Russian ban on some foreign carriers using its airspace, in retaliation for Western sanctions over the Ukraine war, has redrawn air routes and upset business models for some airlines that now need to fly around the world’s largest country. The potential impact is far-reaching because one flight between Europe and Asia generates three throughout the network as passengers take connecting flights.

While U.S., European, and Japanese carriers have stopped flying over Russia, Air India and some Gulf-based and Chinese airlines continue to do so, making flying times shorter and giving them a cost edge over competitors.

(With inputs from agencies)