An Air India relief aircraft carrying passengers from a Delhi-San Francisco flight that was diverted to Krasnoyarsk, Russia due to a technical issue, has finally departed from Krasnoyarsk for San Francisco. The flight, AI 1179, took off at 0002 hours local time on July 20, carrying all passengers and crew of the original flight, AI 183, which had been diverted to Krasnoyarsk.
Air India announced the departure of the relief flight on X, stating, “The flight AI 1179 departed Krasnoyarsk (KJA) at 0002 hours local time (20 July) for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew of AI183 that was diverted to Krasnoyarsk.”
The relief flight, which included an Air India team comprised of crew and security personnel, had departed from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai around 12 am local time for Krasnoyarsk.
The Indian Embassy in Moscow also acknowledged the departure of the relief flight, expressing gratitude to the Russian authorities for their assistance. In a post on X, the Embassy stated, “The Embassy of India, Moscow thanks the Foreign Ministry of Russia and its Representative Office in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport, the Krasnoyarsk Krai Government, airport authorities and security officials, for the assistance to the passengers and to Embassy’s team in the coordination work throughout the emergency situation.”
The original Air India flight, AI 183, carrying 225 passengers and 19 crew members, had been diverted to Krasnoyarsk after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area of the Boeing 777 aircraft. The ferry flight also carried on board essentials, along with sufficient food for all passengers.
Air India has mobilized additional on-ground support at SFO to facilitate the clearance formalities for all passengers upon arrival. “The team at SFO are prepared to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers, including but not limited to medical care, ground transportation, and onward connections in applicable cases,” the airline stated.
Earlier on Friday morning, the Embassy had reported that a team of three senior officials and interpreters were on the ground in Krasnoyarsk to provide assistance to the affected passengers.
