ISTANBUL/WASHINGTON—An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco was forced to divert and land at an airport in Russia’s Far East after it developed a technical issue with one of its engines, the airline said on Tuesday.
The 216 passengers and 16 crew onboard were being offered support on the ground and accommodated in local hotels for the night, Air India said.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel Tuesday said it is “likely” there are Americans onboard given its planned destination.
“We are aware of a U.S.-bound flight that had to make an emergency landing in Russia and are continuing to monitor that situation closely,” Patel said.
The airline said it planned to send a plane on Wednesday to pick them up and fly them to their original destination.
“The authorities are extending all cooperation in our effort to ensure that passengers safely reach their destination at the earliest,” it said.
Air India said it could not share any passenger details.
Russia’s aviation authority said it was checking on the plane’s technical condition after landing at Magadan airport and it had given permission for the alternate flight to land there at 0300 GMT on Wednesday. It was scheduled to leave Delhi at 1835 GMT.
“At present, the question of passengers’ stay and accommodation is being resolved by border, customs, and regional authorities,” Rosaviatsia said earlier in the day.
The airport at Magadan, a port town on the Sea of Okhotsk in Russia’s Far East, did not respond to a request for comment.
