US-bound plane stranded in remote Russian town ‘with lots of nervous people’ on board

Passengers on a flight bound for San Francisco have been left stranded in a remote town in rural Russia after the plane suffered an engine problem.

The Air India aircraft set off from New Delhi on Tuesday with 216 passengers and 16 crew members on board but was forced to land at Magadan airport in Siberia

An Air India statement said a reserve plane was being sent to rescue those on board after the Boeing 777 “developed a technical issue with one of its engines”, adding that “passengers were being provided support on the ground”.

The airline, which has no staff based in the remote town, has had to rely on local authorities to accommodate passengers, who due to “infrastructural limitations” have been placed in “makeshift accommodations”.

The diversion raised questions over how quickly the £160m US-built plane could be repaired amid US and European Union sanctions on exports of aviation items to Russia.

“That plane needs to be repaired, mechanics are going on board,” India’s civil aviation minister, Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

“I don’t know how long it will take to repair that aircraft, but passengers will be taken to their ultimate destination.”

A source at the Magadan airport said Air India engineers would arrive on the reserve plane with spare parts.

A stranded passenger named Gagan told Indian broadcaster NDTV there were many US citizens on the flight who were worried, given the tension between Russia and the United States.

“There are a lot a nervous people here,” the passenger said.

Girvan Kaahma, 16, who was travelling on the flight with his uncle and brother, said they were not allowed to leave the hostels in Magadan and were barred from using their credit cards to buy items from the vending machines due to sanctions over Russia’s war on Ukraine.

He said the airline told the passengers they would likely not leave Russia for the US until Thursday.

Vedant Patel, a US state department spokesman, said it was likely that American citizens were on the flight but
could not immediately confirm how many.

“We are continuing to monitor the situation,” Mr Patel said.