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An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco was forced to divert to an airport in Russia’s Far East after a technical issue, sparking concerns Americans on board could be held hostage.
The flight, believed to be carrying Americans, had to land at Sokol airport in the port town of Magadan in the far east of the country.
The 216 passengers and 16 crew onboard were being offered support on the ground and are understood to be in local schools for the night.
It remains unclear how many of the individuals onboard are American nationals.
The plane was forced to land at Sokol Airport, pictured here, in the far east of the country
The flight had to divert and land at Sokol airport in the port town of Magadan in the far east of the country
The flight had been carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members on board at the time of the diversion
U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel Tuesday said it is ‘likely’ there are Americans onboard given its planned destination.
‘We are aware of a U.S.-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely,’ Patel said.
The airline said it planned to send a plane on Wednesday to pick them up and fly them to their original destination.
‘The authorities are extending all cooperation in our effort to ensure that passengers safely reach their destination at the earliest,’ it said.
Russia’s aviation authority said it was checking on the plane’s technical condition after landing at the rural airport and it had given permission for the alternate flight to land there.
‘At present, the question of passengers’ stay and accommodation is being resolved by border, customs and regional authorities,’ Rosaviatsia said earlier in the day.
The airport at Magadan, a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East, did not respond to a request for comment.
One woman who had two family members on board the flight told DailyMail.com that those onboard have been given a local school to sleep in while awaiting transportation.
Richa Verna, whose parents had been traveling to see her in California, said: ‘Russian officials have been very hospitable
‘Considering it’s a small town they accommodated everyone, provided warm blankets, mattress, pillows and food, tea, coffee.’
Her parents sent Verna a picture of the kitchen in the school they are now in, with food and drinks available to them.
Images shared by her parents show thing mattresses laid out on the school floor, with blankets over individuals who are laying beside their cases.
Those onboard the plane are now sleeping on the floor of a local school while they wait for another plane to arrive
One woman who had two family members on board the flight told DailyMail.com that those onboard have been given a local school to sleep in while awaiting transportation
The airline said it planned to send a plane on Wednesday to pick them up and fly them to their original destination.
It comes amid a global debate over the use of Russian airspace by some carriers, with the chief of United Airlines warning on Monday of the dangers of a plane being forced to land in Russia with American citizens on board.
The diversion also raises questions over how quickly the $200-million Boeing 777, a high-profile U.S.-built plane whose engines are made by General Electric, can be repaired amid U.S. and European Union sanctions on exports of aviation items to Russia.
On Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson defended the airline’s use of Russian airspace, noting the critical role the industry plays in connecting economies, people and cultures.
‘Air India, we operate according to the ambit of what is provided to us by the nation of India and not all nations agree,’ he said on a panel at the International Air Transport Association (IATA) annual meeting.
Russia has barred U.S. airlines and other foreign carriers from using its airspace in retaliation for Washington banning Russian flights over the United States in March 2022 after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine.
In 2018, a Norwegian Air Boeing 737 made an emergency landing in Iran with engine problems weeks after Washington re-imposed sanctions and became stranded for more than two months.
The 186 passengers and six crew were able to fly out of Shiraz the next day. But despite initial assurances from the airline that the plane would also quickly be repatriated, a GE engine venture waited weeks for a U.S. Treasury export licence.
Source: DailyMail UK
