New Delhi: A San Francisco-bound Air India flight was landed safely in Russia after it developed technical snag on Tuesday, news agency ANI reported. Air India flight AI173 from Delhi to San Francisco developed a technical issue in one of its engines. The flight with 216 passengers and 16 crew members had to be diverted and landed safely at Magadan airport in Russia.
“The passengers are being provided with all support on ground and will be provided alternate options to reach their destinations at the earliest. The aircraft is undergoing mandatory checks on the ground,” Air India spokesperson said.
Two days back, a Dibrugarh-bound IndiGo flight was diverted to Guwahati’s Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport after the pilot of the plane announced a snag in the aircraft engine.
According to reports, over 150 passengers were travelling on flight 6E-2652, including Union MoS for Petroleum Rameswar Teli and two Assam BJP MLAs -- Prasanta Phukan and Terash Gowala.
"Initially we were frightened and sceptic as to why the flight was not able to land at the Dibrugarh airport. It was diverted to Guwahati. Then the pilot made the announcement that because of a technical snag in the engine, they need a longer runway to land," Teli said.
"We were told to remain seated in the plane while they tried to fix the snag. After two hours, it was announced that the flight cannot take off and hence cancelled," he added.
"I requested the IndiGo authorities to arrange an alternate flight from Kolkata but they couldn't. I will report this to the Aviation Minister," he said.