NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
San Francisco, CA, July 20, 2024: Nearly 30 hours after the Air India flight to San Francisco took off from New Delhi, passengers reached their destination on a ferry flight following a diversion to Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia due to a technical reason. The incident occurred after the pilots detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area of Air India Flight 183.
The flight, which left Delhi for SFO on Thursday, made an emergency landing at Krasnoyarsk International Airport in Russia. The plane, carrying 225 passengers and 19 crew members, landed safely without any reported injuries.
In response to the unexpected diversion, Air India arranged for a ferry flight, Air India 1179, to transport the stranded passengers to their original destination. The ferry flight departed Krasnoyarsk at 12:02 a.m. local time on July 20, carrying all passengers and crew from the diverted Flight 183. It arrived at San Francisco International Airport at 8:22 p.m. on Friday.
“Air India regrets the inconvenience to passengers arising from this diversion, which was undertaken in the interest of safety,” the airline stated in a post on X. The post further detailed the coordination efforts, stating, “AI1179 departed Krasnoyarsk (KJA) at 0002 Hrs local time (20 July) for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew of AI183 that was diverted to KJA.”
“All of us at Air India are concerned about the passengers and staff and are making every effort possible to operate the ferry flight as soon as possible, and to ensure the health, safety, and security of all while they wait,” the airline said in another post.
Upon arrival in San Francisco, Air India mobilized additional on-ground support to assist passengers with clearance formalities.
“The team at SFO is 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 said.
