An Air India flight safely arrived in San Francisco with 216 passengers and 16 crew members aboard on Thursday. 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, news agency PTI reported.
Air India 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.
Magadan lies on the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk in the north-eastern region of Russia and is classified as part of Magadan Oblast's administrative hub. The distance between Moscow and the port town is roughly 10,167 kilometers. Magadan can be reached from Moscow via air travel, which typically takes approximately 7 hours and 37 minutes.
Air India, currently under the ownership of Tata Group - a domestically founded corporation specializing in producing salt and steel, has made public its decision to offer compensation to all customers who have undergone a "prolonged delay". The compensation package comprises both a complete refund of the fare and a voucher for future travel purposes.
In a message released to customers by Rajesh Dogra, the Chief Customer Experience and Ground Handling Officer, the airline conveyed its remorse for the troubles and distress caused as well as offered a genuine apology for the substantial delay experienced by passengers in reaching their final destination.
"We will fully refund the fare for your journey and, in addition, provide you a voucher for future travel on Air India," Dogra said in the communication.
The US Department of State reports that only a small number of individuals, less than 50, who possessed American citizenship were present among the passengers on the flight that was redirected to Magadan, necessitating an unplanned stopover in this out-of-the-way locale.
"We understand that there were less than 50 US citizens aboard that flight. We also understand that a relief aircraft is expected to arrive later today to assist the Air India flight and the passengers continue on with their route," Vedant Patel, deputy spokesperson of the State department, told reporters on Wednesday at his daily news conference.