Air India's flight AI180 from San Francisco to Mumbai was canceled owing to an unanticipated technical issue today. Affected passengers have been offered alternate flights or a full refund for the cancelled journey, according to a spokesperson, news agency ANI reported.
"We'll also reimburse all expenses that our guests may incur towards hotel accommodation and transportation until they take flight," Air India's spokesperson said.
Earlier on Thursday, an Air India flight safely arrived in San Francisco with 216 passengers and 16 crew members aboard. This group had been stuck in Magadan, located in the far east of Russia, for two days due to an in-flight engine issue that forced their original plane to take a different course.
Air India had expressed remorse to their passengers for the considerable delay and acknowledged the inconvenience and disturbance it may have caused. Additionally, the airline offered a complete reimbursement of the ticket cost as well as a voucher for future air travel with Air India.
On June 6 at 4:23 am, Air India's direct flight, AI-173 bound for San Francisco, departed from Delhi and its expected arrival time was 7 am (local time) the following day.
Nevertheless, while the flight was in progress, one of the aircraft's engines experienced a malfunction, compelling the cockpit team to execute an emergency landing at an airport located in the coastal metropolis of Magadan.
On Wednesday, a ferry flight accompanied by a group of engineers and provisions was sent by Air India from Mumbai to Magadan to transport the stranded passengers and crew to their intended location. At 0614 hours on June 8 (local time), the plane landed at Magadan and later took off from the harbor city for San Francisco at 1027 hours.
"Flight AI173D landed safely in San Francisco (SFO) at 0007 hours on 08 June 2023 (local time)," the carrier was quoted by PTI in its report.
232 individuals finally arrived in San Francisco at 12:07 am on Thursday, marking the end of a grueling 56-hour journey since they boarded the aircraft.