Technical Glitch: Delhi-San Francisco Air India flight diverted to Russia; passengers struggle for food and water

Air India flight diverted: An Air India flight from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Russia's Krasnoyarsk International Airport due to a technical fault. The cockpit crew detected a problem in the cargo hold area, prompting the unscheduled landing. Efforts are underway to arrange another flight for the stranded passengers.

Airline Announcement Late at Night

In a social media post late Thursday night, Air India announced that flight AI-183 from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Krasnoyarsk International Airport due to technical issues. "Air India flight AI-183 operating Delhi to San Francisco has been diverted to Krasnoyarsk International Airport... due to a technical reason," Air India said. The aircraft landed safely, and the airline is working closely with relevant authorities to care for the passengers and take further action.

Update on Flight Arrangements

On Friday morning, Air India confirmed that the plane had landed safely at Krasnoyarsk with all 225 passengers and 19 crew members on board. All passengers were moved to the terminal building. "As Air India does not have its own staff at KJA, we are arranging for third party support to provide all necessary assistance to passengers. Air India is also in liaison with government agencies and regulatory authorities, and we are making arrangements for a ferry flight to KJA to take passengers onwards to San Francisco at the earliest," the airline stated. 

Passengers' Struggles for Food and Water

Passengers faced significant difficulties after landing at Krasnoyarsk. A relative of one passenger reported that Indian currency was not accepted, and the language barrier made it challenging to even purchase water. Passengers had not received any food for 10 hours.

Further Updates from Air India

Air India provided another update, stating that a special flight would depart from Mumbai at 11 am. All necessary formalities and permissions have been completed. Throughout the night, Air India remained in contact with the Indian Consulate and Russian officials. Efforts are ongoing to provide food and other necessities.

With inputs from IANS