New Delhi: An Air India flight en route to San Francisco, USA, made a precautionary landing in Russia’s Siberian region on Friday after the crew noticed a potential issue in the cargo hold.
The flight, with 225 passengers and 19 crew members aboard, touched down safely at Krasnoyarsk International Airport, according to the airline.
In a statement regarding the unexpected landing, Air India mentioned that the event occurred around midnight local time. “Air India’s local support was mobilized to aid passengers who were instructed to stay in the terminal due to the lack of Russian visas.
The terminal’s food and beverage services, previously closed, have reopened to provide meals to all passengers,” the airline stated. Indian consulate officials in Moscow coordinated with Russian authorities overnight to facilitate hotel accommodations for passengers.
“Necessary approvals for a relief flight have been secured, which is scheduled to leave Mumbai at 1100 hrs IST and will transport the passengers from Krasnoyarsk later today,” the airline added.
This incident marks the second unscheduled landing in Russia for an Air India flight on this route in just over a year. Despite many US and EU carriers avoiding Russian airspace, Air India continues to use it, offering a time and cost advantage for flights to the USA.
The airport reported that the aircraft landed following a smoke detector alert. Following the event, Russian civil aviation authorities announced that there were no signs of fire or smoke on board.
