Diverted Air India flight to San Francisco stuck in Russia

An Air India 777 service to the US was diverted to a remote Russian airport with 216 passengers. Photo / Daniel Eledut, Unsplash

An Air India flight from Delhi to the United States was forced to make an unscheduled landing in the remote Russian city of Magadan yesterday after the Boeing 777 suffered a technical fault mid-flight.

More than 200 passengers and crew are now in Russian hotels awaiting replacement service, said the airline on Tuesday evening.

“Air India flight AI173 of June 6, operating Delhi-San Francisco has developed a technical issue with one of its engines. The flight, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew, was diverted and landed safely in Magadan airport in Russia,” said a statement from Air India.

The passengers, believed include US nationals, are being “provided support on the ground” as the airline finds alternative onward transport.

However this diversion is likely to have some obstacles to overcome.

‘Crisis in the making’ fears for US citizens on diverted plane

Due to Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine the aviation network between Siberia and the US is extremely frayed. Direct airlinks between Russia and the US have all but stopped since sanctions came into effect in March 2022.

Some airlines have called for US-bound flights to be stopped from flying over Russian airspace in case of just such an incident, describing it as a “crisis in the making”.

Earlier this year NPR reported that the State Department was dealing with a growing number of Americans being held in Russia over spurious charges, to later be used as leverage in negotiations with the country which has been opposed to the war.

However the more immediate problem is the impact of sanctions on the ability to import air parts into Russia.

The San Francisco service was diverted to Magadan Sokol Airport, Russia. Photo / Сергин В. А., Creative Commons

Spare parts for the US-manufactured Beoing 777 are likely to be in short supply at Magadan Sokol Airport. It will be difficult to bring new parts into Russia.

US airline United halted its own Delhi to San Francisco route after the inability to fly through Russian airspace made it commercially unviable.

Although India Airlines does not face the same sanctions as US carriers, earlier this week the concerns were aired over the route at the IATA annual conference.

On Monday United CEO Scott Kirby told reporters in Istanbul that he would like to see all planes carrying US citizens to be barred from flying over Russian airspace.

“What’s going to happen if an airline lands in Russia with some prominent US citizens on board?”

Kirby said that the possibility of Americans being diverted to Russian airports was “a crisis in the making, and I think we should solve it before the crisis happens”.

The crisis appears to be more a logistical one than a diplomatic one as the Indian carrier tries to find alternative routes for its 216 passengers, travelleing to San Francisco.

Air India was contacted for additional comment but stated that all passengers were being supported on the ground.