This story is complex on many levels. An Air India 777 bound for San Francisco encountered engine trouble and was forced to divert to a remote Russian town. Now passengers face a 36-hour wait for a rescue aircraft and have been consigned to a school to sleep in while the flight crew is resting in a hotel.
Air India Flight 173 Diverts To Russia, Creating Logistical Nightmare
On Tuesday, June 6, 2023, Air India flight 173 departed New Delhi (DEL) for San Francisco (SFO). The 7,706-mile flight utilizes a Boeing 777-200 and controversially operates this routes via Russian airspace.
About eight hours into the flight, an unspecified technical problem occurred with on the of the engines, serious enough for the flight crew to determine that a diversion was warranted. The 777 used for this flight, registration VT-ALH, was 14 years old. The mechanical issue occured just as the aircraft was about to cross over the East Siberian Sea.
With little infrastructure in that region of the world, the 777 turned due south for Sokol Airport (GDX) in Magadan, Russia. That is a regional airport that only offers domestic service to a number of Russian cities, but has a an 11,326 foot runway.
Two hours later (10 hours since depature), AI173 landing in Magadan.
Ground Accommodations In Russia
For the next six hours the 216 passengers and six crew members sat on the aircraft as arrangements were made. Eventually, they were allowed off and processed into the Russian Federation. There was not sufficient hotel infrastructure for all passengers onboard. Instead, passengers were transported to a local school and given floor mats to sleep on.
#AI173 with 216 passengers stuck in Magadan, Russia since 2 pm IST Tue 6/6 after technical issues. Passengers staying at makeshift accommodation in a nearby school. Conditions have become miserable, no updates from @airindia, bad food. Crew not helping. @PMOIndia @DrSJaishankar pic.twitter.com/05NprP9PCw
— Dipankar Niranjan (@dip_niranjan) June 7, 2023
Yesterday, @AirIndia flight 173 from Delhi to San Francisco was diverted to Magadan, in rural Russia w/ over 220, mostly elderly, passengers.
Sat in plane for 6 hrs & after 18 hrs now, no word from Air India, @MEAIndia.
Here is a just taken video from a jittery passenger : pic.twitter.com/n6qymnvXrc
— Tarun Shukla (@shukla_tarun) June 7, 2023
One passenger claims that there are “just four bathrooms for 216 passengers, some with health conditions. Very limited food options.” However, he also thanked the locals for their hospitality:
Many thanks to the very kind Russian people who have been so helpful and accommodating with everything. @WIONews @TimesNow @IndiaToday @ndtv @timesofindia @the_hindu
— Dipankar Niranjan (@dip_niranjan) June 7, 2023
Meanwhile, the flight crew was transported to an area hotel.
Rescue Aircraft
Air India promised to send help, but a rescue aircraft was only dispatched this morning. AI195 just left Mumbai (BOM) and is expected to arrive at GDX at 06:30 am on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The flight has been fully-catered to continue to San Francisco.
UPDATE: FERRY FLIGHT TO MAGADAN AIRBORNE
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… pic.twitter.com/oIwrqrF3po
— Air India (@airindia) June 7, 2023
This Isn’t Easy…
There is no denying that this is a very complicated situation. Securing provisions and accommodation for over 200 passengers in a mid-sized Russian town (population about 95,000) is not easy.
I also don’t find it inherently unreasonable that members of the crew received a hotel room while passengers did not, especially if that crew will be expected to work the flight as it continues to San Francisco (this isn’t clear).
Until we learn more, I am not prepared to criticize Air India for the way it handled the diversion. These sorts of incidents are always unfortunate.
Will The US Allow This Flight To Continue To SFO?
Direct air service between Russia and the USA is currently banned for US and Russian carriers. Other carriers do not face such a restriction. That has left US carriers unable to sustain key routes to India without the use of Russian airspace, giving a competitive advantage to Indian carriers.
CONCLUSION
An Air India 777 diverted to Eastern Russia after encountering engine trouble. Passengers have already been waiting over 24 hours and will have to wait at least eight more hours until a rescue aircraft arrives. In the meantime, passengers have been accommodated at a local school.
Tomorrow, I will address my larger concerns over Air India’s use of Russian airspace and the stark juxtaposition that while Air India flies over Russia with impunity, the protectionist government has blocked United from codesharing with Emirates. But come back tomorrow so I can develop that point. For now, we simply send our best wishes to the passengers stranded in Russia.
image: @dip_niranjan / Twitter
Matt, come on. Do you real think Biden and DOT would risk stranding US Citizens and Permanent Residents and risk a diplomatic incident with the government of India because of unanticipated emergency landing on Russian soil?
Probably not, but it would teach people a needed lesson. I absolutely believe Air India should be banned from the US if it uses Russian airspace.
Do you really think a country should have to line up with what the U.S. and/or Russian wants?
No but this diversion puts any Americans on the flight at risk, and the US doesn’t have to put up with that.
No, India is a sovereign nation and can do what it wants. But it is not unreasonable of the USA to attach some strings to the privilege of serving the US.
That sounds like a nation abusing it’s privilege. Remember when the USA got several nations to rush to war in Iraq when the basis was false and created more instability in the country than when Saadam was in power?
It’s probably time the rest of us have a serious talk about kicking the United States out of things.
You can start by taking your fat, uneducated soldiers out of your illegal bases in Europe.
But the Germans and Italians want us to stay…
In that case, would you also support a ban on Emirates, Qatar etc that also use Russian air space for flights to/from the US?
It would be fair. India should not be given special treatment.
India is not getting special treatment. Right now, the U.S. has very little leverage over India to dictate a ban, or even the Gulf countries.
India is importing Russian crude, refining and reselling to Europe. The US tried to tell India to not import Russian crude – but with zero success.
@Joseph. It is not stranding the passengers by requiring the rescue plane to return to Delhi. Air India needs a lesson in that if they want to buddy up to Russia there is a price. Further, those passengers should know full well the risks with choosing an airline and flight that uses Russian airspace.
I would further use this as the reason to ban all flights into the U.S. that use Russian airspace in the future. Enough already.
Air India probably won’t be leaving an extra crew there. Will there be a bunch of J to Y downgrades of pax to accommodate the additional crew members since it looks like the flight isn’t full? Cant imagine that plane is being fixed anytime soon and Russia certainly won’t be offering spare parts to help.
Prayers for the elderly passengers. Current weather there is mid forties, but I suspect not many were traveling with heavy clothing. Hopefully all will be better in a few more hours.
There is no current prohibition on flights from Russia to the United States.
There is a prohibition of flights on behalf of Russian entities in territorial US airspace, and of US registered entities within Russian airspace, but no ban on third country operators between Russia and the USA.
That’s correct. And I hope this example gives the Biden Administration a boost in taking the ban further.
With that, I’m not sure of how the current restrictions can be interpreted to this flight. It is now originating in Russia. And despite being a carrier from a third nation it may actually be subject to a ban. I’ll be interested to see if they actually do fly to SFO in the end.
Did someone mention ice cream?
You posting as Joe Biden stopped being funny after the third or fourth time you did it.
You’re talking to a guy that probably thinks Babylon bee is the pinnacle of comedy
Why did it take so long to send a rescue flight? That is the part that should be criticized
What a nightmare
Outside of the discussion of the US position regarding airlines which use Russian airspace, I’m just glad all of the passengers survived the crash.
What crash? Well, the report says: “The 777 used for this flight, registration VT-ALH, was 14 years old.” Since that is the past tense, this means the 777 no longer flies.
“sat on the aircraft as arraignments were made” — I sure hope that’s not what was being made, haha!
Lol.
This bring up interesting issues. What if you were in, or formerly in the military, or an intelligence agency and was on the plane that landed in Russia? Would Russia hold that passenger for further “processing” ?
Reminds me of the Tehran tv show where the Israelis wanted to get an agent into Iran and an Iranian out of the country by switching identities (one leaving became the FA and the one entering became the resident and were similar in appearance). Israel fabricated an engine issue to force the plane to divert to Iran. Unfortunately 2 Israel citizens got on board the flight at the last minute and were quite scared what was going to happen to them.
Something most don’t have to worry about it is an issue.
Actually this exact scenario was played out in the 1985 movie “White Nights” in which Barishkinov (sp?) played a similar character to himself on a flight to Asia had a major mechanical issue and needed to make an emergency landing in the Soviet Union. Was actually a decent film and I would say quite accurate as to the potential of anyone of interest to Russia today absolutely being held for further “processing” if on a diverted flight.
Those with certain levels of security clearance are not permitted to travel on these flights already.
Can’t imagine any city with a population of 95,000 in the developed world unable to properly accommodate 200 or so passengers.Years ago Magadan was serviced by Alaska Airlines selling trips in the summer,so there was tourist infrastructure then to avvomodate.Thanks,for a sober reminder not to fly AI,Emirates,or Qatar.
ACCOMMODATE
Matt claims that india is a sovereign nation. Then he claims that india serves the usa. No country “serves” the usa as much as your imperial self would like to believe that.
Are you trolling now? Serves as in airline service. You know, service from A to B…
Not trolling, merely pointing out the hypocrisy of your statement. As a sovereign nation, India has the right to make its own decisions. American owned airlines would also happily fly over Russia if they werent banned from doing so by the Russians,
Your friends in Europe happily purchase the refined products from the crude imported by India from Russia. Thats okay with you?
@747always – the ban on US carriers flying over Russia originated as a US FAA ban, not a Russian ban.
My mistake. Thanks for pointing that out.
Also Air India is the airline serving the USA, and it is now privately owned. So it is not India serving the USA, but Air India.
If you wrongly conflate the two, then dont call someone a troll. Cheers
That may be the case on paper, but as we have seen with the recent blocking of the UA/EK alliance in India, Air India is still very much protected by Government and happy bedfellows.
Ok genocide supporting imperialist. Go repeal the Jones Act amongst others in your country then talk. Keep your imperialist white skin hypocrisy to yourself