Air India flight makes precautionary landing in Moscow
An Air India flight bound for Britain has made a precautionary landing in Moscow due to what Sheremetyevo Airport described as “technical problems”.
The Air India 787-800 Dreamliner (flying from New Delhi to Birmingham, UK) on 4 September was forced to divert with as-yet unspecified issues, confirmed a spokesperson for the airport, with the aircraft crew requesting an unscheduled landing at Sheremetyevo Airport; Russia’s busiest airport and one of four international facilities serving the city of Moscow.
“Sheremetyevo Airport services promptly responded to the crew’s request [for an unscheduled landing] and prepared to receive the aircraft in accordance with the current emergency plan,” confirmed a spokesperson for the airport, who added that the aircraft landed safely at 18:36 Moscow time.
With all 258 passengers and 17 crew members unharmed, airport services and Aeroflot Technics provided the required assistance for the aircraft to continue its flight, with the foreign crew receiving “full assistance from the Russian airport and specialists within the framework of the current international convention”. The flight then took off some five and a half hours later at 23:58 Moscow time.
Air India suspended its direct services to Moscow in April 2022, with Indian Express sources citing insurance concerns. A separate Air India flight (operating from Delhi to San Fransico) was also forced to make an unscheduled stop in Russia’s Krasnoyarsk International Airport when a potential issue was discovered in the cargo hold of the 777.
