Stranded passengers reach San Francisco after Air India engine glitch

An Air India flight, ferrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members who were stranded for two days in Magadan, Russia, safely touched down in San Francisco today. The diversion followed a mid-air engine glitch in the original aircraft.
Air India extended an apology for the “extended delay”, expressing regret for the disruption and inconvenience. The airline also announced full refunds for the passengers’ tickets and offered vouchers for future travel on Air India.
The original non-stop flight AI-173 was scheduled to depart from Delhi at 4.23 am on June 6 and land in San Francisco at 7 am (local time) the following day. However, due to a malfunction in one of the Boeing 777-200LR’s engines, the plane had to make an emergency landing at Magadan, a port city in far-east Russia.
In response, Air India dispatched a rescue flight from Mumbai to Magadan on June 8 with a team of engineers and provisions. After ensuring the passengers and crew were on board, the flight left Magadan at 10:27 am local time and safely arrived in San Francisco at 12:07 am.
The affected passengers and crew had to endure a journey of over 56 hours, from the moment they initially boarded the plane to their final touchdown in San Francisco.
Magadan, a remote port town situated on the Sea of Okhotsk in north-eastern Russia, is about 10,167 kilometres from Moscow. A typical flight from Moscow to Magadan takes approximately 7 hours and 37 minutes.
Air India, currently under Tata Group ownership, pledged to provide full compensation and future travel vouchers to all passengers affected by this delay. Rajesh Dogra, the airline’s Chief Customer Experience and Ground Handling Officer, expressed “regret” for the disruption and extended a sincere apology to customers for the prolonged delay. Among the stranded passengers were fewer than 50 US citizens. Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson of the State department, confirmed the presence of US citizens on board and the expected arrival of a relief aircraft. Despite the discomfort caused by the unexpected landing in Magadan, a city with limited facilities, Air India defended its decision, citing safety as their highest priority. The airline expressed gratitude for passengers’ understanding and patience in this challenging situation. Although Air India initially accommodated passengers and crew in local hotels, it later admitted to utilising makeshift accommodations due to “infrastructure constraints”. Air India dispatched a relief flight at the earliest opportunity after securing insurance and flight plan approvals. However, the airline acknowledged that the delay was extensive, and the experience did not meet the standards it aspires to provide.