Air India sends ferry flight to Russian town, to take passengers and crew to San Francisco on June 8

Air India’s ferry flight from Mumbai to take 216 passengers stranded in Russia onward to San Francisco is now airborne

Air India’s ferry flight takes off from Mumbai. Photo: Twitter/@airindia

Air India sent a ferry flight on Wednesday to allow 216 of its passengers stranded in a remote town in Russia to complete their journey and reach San Francisco.

Air India’s flight AI 195 took off from Mumbai at 1 p.m. local time, and will reach Magadan in Russia at 6 a.m. local time on June 8. Air India said in a statement that it had also dispatched one of its teams to provide support to the affected passengers and crew.

Russian authorities issued a permit to Air India for the arrival of a reserve aircraft at Magadan.

The passengers were accommodated in a makeshift accommodation after AI 173 flying from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Magadan following a technical problem with its right engine. There were also 16 crew members aboard the flight.

Air India flight passengers stay at makeshift accommodation in a nearby school after it had to land at the Sokol Airport in Magadan, Russia following a technical snag. The Air India plane, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members, was flying from Delhi to San Francisco | Photo Credit: PTI

“Given the infrastructural limitations around the remote airport, we can confirm that all passengers were eventually moved to a makeshift accommodation after making sincere attempt to accommodate passengers in hotels locally. As we don’t have any Air India staff based in the remote town of Magadan or in Russia, all ground support being provided is the best possible in this unusual circumstance through our round-the-clock liaison with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, Ministry of External Affairs (Government of India), local ground handlers, and the Russian authorities,” the airline said in a statement.

The airline also launched a dedicated helpline (+91 124 264 142) for those seeking latest information on the stranded passengers.

With Russia banning several foreign carriers from using its airspace following Western sanctions over the war with Ukraine, Air India is the only airline that provides direct connectivity to San Francisco from New Delhi. Airlines like United had to curtail their operations as flights to some destinations, including San Francisco and Chicago, required a detour which proved to be costlier for the airline.