Passengers stranded in Russia after emergency landing arrive in U.S.
Hundreds of U.S.-bound passengers who were stranded in Russia after engine trouble have arrived in San Francisco on a replacement flight, Air India said.
The flight took off from Magadan, Russia, at 10:27 a.m. local time Thursday (7:27 p.m. Wednesday ET) and landed safely in San Francisco at 12:07 a.m. local time Thursday, the airline said on Twitter.
It said passengers were receiving maximum assistance with clearance formalities and other necessary support.
“Air India thanks government agencies, regulatory authorities, our staff and partners involved in supporting our endeavor to bring our passengers to SFO as soon as possible and in providing them care while they waited in Magadan, Russia,” the airline added, using the code for San Francisco International Airport.
UPDATE: AIR INDIA FLIGHT AI173D TAKES OFF FOR SAN FRANCISCO FROM MAGADAN
Flight AI173D from Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew. The flight departed GDX at 1027 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time) and is expected to…— Air India (@airindia) June 7, 2023
The airline had been criticized over its decision to make an emergency landing in Russia amid geopolitical tension over the war in Ukraine, which has disrupted air routes. While U.S., European and Japanese carriers have stopped flying over Russia, Air India and other airlines have continued to do so.
The original Delhi-to-San-Francisco flight Tuesday was diverted to the remote port town in Russia’s far east after one of its engines developed a technical problem. Air India said that the plane landed safely and that local airport authorities “extended all cooperation and support upon the flight’s arrival.”
The airline sent a reserve plane Wednesday to pick up what it said were 216 passengers and 16 crew members on board. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said Wednesday that fewer than 50 U.S. citizens were on the flight.
Passengers had expressed apprehension over the situation and complained about the conditions. Air India, which has no staff members based in Russia, said in an earlier statement that while it made “sincere attempts to accommodate passengers in hotels locally with the help of local government authorities,” passengers were “eventually moved to a makeshift accommodation.”
“We truly apologize for all the inconvenience caused,” the airline said on Twitter.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
