Air India Flight Emergency Landing in Russia: Passengers Stranded

An Air India flight en route from Delhi to San Francisco made an emergency landing in Russia due to a cargo hold issue. Stranded passengers included U.S. citizens, who faced difficulties with food and water. A rescue flight has since departed to recover them, amid wider geopolitical tensions affecting air travel routes.

NEW DELHI, July 19 (Reuters) - Air India reported on Friday that a plane dispatched to retrieve passengers stranded in Russia has departed for San Francisco. The previous day's flight had made an emergency landing after detecting a potential issue in the cargo hold, marking the route's second such incident in over a year.

A statement from Air India confirmed that a team of crew and security personnel were on the rescue flight, and a dedicated hotline was set up for concerned passengers. Despite many U.S. and European airlines avoiding Russian airspace due to the Ukraine war, Air India's route provides time and cost advantages for U.S.-bound flights.

The Indian embassy in Russia announced that senior officials and an interpreter had arrived at Krasnoyarsk airport to assist. The U.S. State Department also noted that one-third of the passengers are U.S. citizens and it has been in contact with them and their families.