Air India Flight Lands in San Francisco From Russia With Stranded Passengers

Air India Flight AI173 bound for San Francisco from Delhi was diverted to Magadan, Russia on Tuesday, 6 June.

Air India ferry flight AI173D lands in San Francisco.

(Image used for representative purposes) (Photo: iStock)

Air India's ferry flight AI173D has taken off from the small Russian town of Magadan for San Francisco, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members and has landed safely in the US.

In its tweet, Air India confirmed that Flight AI173D from Magadan has successfully touched down in San Francisco.

Earlier today, in its tweet, Air India confirmed that the flight was airborne for San Francisco with all the passengers. The flight departed GDX at 1027 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time) and is expected to arrive at SFO at 0015 Hours on 08 June 2023 (local time).

What Happened

Air India Flight AI173 bound for San Francisco from Delhi was diverted to the remote Russian city of Magadan on Tuesday, 6 June, because of an engine glitch, stated the Tata Group-owned private carrier. 

Air India provided with emergency makeshift accommodations for the stranded passengers. Magadan is a remote town of Russia with infrastructural limitations.

A stranded passenger named Gagan updated NDTV about the situation via phone.

"There are over 230 people. Lots of children and older people. Our bags are still in the aircraft. We were sent on buses to different locations. Some people were sent to a school and are lying on mattresses on the floor. The toilet facilities are not right. Language is a barrier. The food here is very, very different. There's a lot of seafood and non-veg. Some people are just eating bread and soup. Older people running out of medicine."

Gagan, Air India Flight AI173 passenger to NDTV

He also added, "But the other place, where some more passengers are present, is a school. They have just moved the benches and people are lying on mattresses in the classroom. There are about 20 people in one room. I heard they couldn't arrange proper food. They were given Coke and bread."

The US Closely Monitoring The Situation

The US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said that the United States is closely monitoring the situation after the flight made an emergency landing. 

“I am not able to confirm how many US citizens were aboard the flight at this time. It was a flight that was bound for the United States. So, it is, of course, likely that there are American citizens on board."

Vedant Patel, The US State Department Deputy Spokesperson