Air India Delhi-San Francisco flight update: Relief flight departs from Russia, about to reach US city in next few hours

An Air India relief aircraft for passengers of its Delhi-San Francisco flight stranded at Russia's Krasnoyarsk Airport has now departed from there for the US city, the airline posted on X.

"The flight AI 1179 departed Krasnoyarsk (KJA) at 0002 hours local time (20 July) for San Francisco (SFO), carrying all passengers and crew of AI183 that was diverted to Krasnoyarsk," said Air India.

The relief flight with an Air India team, including crew and security personnel, had taken off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, around 12 am (local time) for the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk.

The Indian Embassy in Moscow had also posted about the relief flight taking off from Russia's Krasnoyarsk, and thanked the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"The Embassy of India, Moscow thanks the Foreign Ministry of Russia and its Representative Office in Krasnoyarsk, Russian Federal Agency for Air Transport, the Krasnoyarsk Krai Government, airport authorities and security officials, for the assistance to the passengers and to Embassy's team in the coordination work throughout the emergency situation," the Indian Embassy in Moscow said in a post on X.

Air India Delhi-San Francisco flight update: What happened before

With 225 passengers, and 19 crew members on board, Air India had to divert its San Fancisco bound flight after the cockpit crew detected a potential issue in the cargo hold area of the Boeing 777 aircraft.

The ferry flight also carried on board essentials, along with sufficient food for all passengers, according to an earlier update by the airline.

Air India said it has also mobilized additional on-ground support at SFO to carry out the clearance formalities for all passengers upon arrival.

“The team at SFO are prepared to provide all necessary assistance to the passengers, including but not limited to medical care, ground transportation, and onward connections in applicable cases,” it stated.

On Friday morning, the Embassy had said that a team of three senior officials and interpreters were on ground in Krasnoyarsk to assist the affected passengers.