Air India sends aircraft to small Russian town to evacuate 232 people on Delhi-San Francisco flight (WATCH)
In an update on Twitter, Air India said: "Our ferry flight AI195 from Mumbai (BOM) to Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne, and is expected to arrive at GDX at 0630 Hours (local time) on 08 June 2023."
FollowAir India flight AI195 has taken off from Mumbai to Magadan in Russia to evacuate 232 people, including 216 passengers and 16 crew members, who were stranded in the small Indian town on Tuesday after their Delhi-San Francisco nonstop flight had to be diverted following an engine snag.
In an update on Twitter, Air India said: "Our ferry flight AI195 from Mumbai (BOM) to Magadan, Russia (GDX) is now airborne, and is expected to arrive at GDX at 0630 Hours (local time) on 08 June 2023."
"An Air India team is on board the flight to provide any support that the passengers and staff at GDX may require. The ferry flight is carrying essentials in addition to a sufficient amount of food to cater to all passengers on the onward flight scheduled from GDX to San Francisco (SFO). The aircraft operating the ferry flight will take all passengers and crew onward to San Francisco on 08 June 2023."
During the journey of Air India flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco on June 6, a technical issue arose with one of its engines. Since Air India does not have staff stationed in the remote town of Magadan or in Russia, they reached out for support.
The airline expressed its concern for the passengers and staff and assured them that they were making every possible effort to operate a ferry flight promptly while prioritizing the health, safety, and security of everyone during the wait.
To ensure assistance for the stranded passengers, Air India maintained continuous communication and coordination with the Consulate General of India in Vladivostok, the Ministry of External Affairs of India, local ground handlers, and the Russian authorities.
As part of the efforts, all passengers were eventually relocated to temporary accommodation. The airline made attempts to arrange hotel accommodations with the assistance of local government authorities.
