Air India on Friday said it has received regulatory clearance for a relief flight to Krasnoyarsk, Russia, where 225 passengers and 19 crew members of the San Francisco flight were stranded. The Indian embassy in Moscow said three senior officials and an interpreter are present in Krasnoyarsk to assist the passengers. “An embassy team, including three senior officials and an interpreter, is on the ground in Krasnoyarsk to assist the passengers of the San Francisco-bound Air India flight that made an emergency landing in Krasnoyarsk last night,” the embassy said. It added: “The team is coordinating with the airport and security authorities and the representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry to provide all possible assistance to the passengers. “The team will remain in Krasnoyarsk until the Air India replacement aircraft arrives and takes the passengers on their onward journey.” Air India said in a statement, “Regulatory approval has been obtained for a relief flight that will depart from Mumbai at 1100 hrs Indian time and pick up guests from Krasnoyarsk International Airport later today.” Air India had diverted flight AI183, which was arriving from New Delhi and heading to Russia from San Francisco, after a technical fault. It made a precautionary landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk Krai on Thursday after cabin crew detected a potential problem in the cargo hold area. In Friday’s statement, Air India said its local support was helping passengers who were required by authorities to stay in the terminal building due to lack of Russian visas. It also said representatives from the Indian Consulate in Moscow travelled overnight and worked closely with Russian authorities to facilitate the transfer of passengers to hotels.
“Food and beverage services at the terminal, which were closed overnight, have now opened and meals are being provided to all passengers. Representatives from the Indian Consulate in Moscow travelled overnight and are working with Russian authorities to allow the transfer of passengers to hotels that were on standby overnight,” the airlines said. In a similar incident last year, an Air India flight on the same route faced technical problems and had to be diverted to the remote Russian city of Magadan. The Boeing 777-200LR aircraft was carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members at the time. Its passengers were then moved to temporary accommodation in a school, where they stayed for two days. A replacement flight with food and other essential items was later dispatched from Mumbai. The ferry flight later took the passengers to San Francisco.
