MOSCOW- Once again Tata Group-owned Air India (AI) flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Delhi Indira Gandhi Int’l Airport (DEL) diverted to Moscow Zhukovsky Airport (ZIA), one of the four airports in the Capital city of Russia.
This marks one of many diversions to Russia, that Air India flights had in recent years.
Air India Newark to Delhi Diverted
The incident dates back to November 30, 2024, when Air India flight AI106 en route to Delhi over Russian Airspace.
According to FlightRadar24 data, Air India Flight 106 took off from Newark at 4:25 PM UTC. After being airborne for around nine hours, the flight altered its path.
At the time of the diversion, the flight was over the Kama River in Russia. They landed safely at the nearest airport, Moscow Zhukovsky at 2:07 AM UTC.
According to some unconfirmed reports, the diversion occurred following a Medical emergency. Some unverified reports even say that a passenger died mid-air forcing a quick diversion. However, we are waiting for official confirmation and will update the post accordingly.
The flight remained on the ground for around two hours and 30 minutes before taking off for its origin-destination. The flight landed safely in New Delhi after being airborne for over 5 hours at 10:46 AM UTC on December 1, 2024.
Air India AI 106 flight on Nov 30 was operated by a 17.2-year-old Boeing 777-300ER, registered as VT-ALJ. The aircraft features a distinctive Star Alliance
Similar Incidents
While this was a medical emergency, many other diversions to Russia involved technical issues. Because Russian airspace is one of the largest in the world, the Air India diversion to Russia is normal.
Also many Western Airlines including North America, European are banned from using Russian airspace amid the Russia-Ukraine War, which started in 2022. Air India has stopped direct flights between India and Russia since the outbreak of War but due to strong diplomatic relations, it is allowed to use Russian Airspace.
An Air India flight from Delhi International Airport to Birmingham Airport executed an emergency diversion to Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow, Russia, on September 4, 2024, due to unforeseen technical challenges.
Flight AI113 departed Delhi at 9:01 AM UTC (2:31 PM IST), carrying 258 passengers and 17 crew members, totaling 275 individuals. Approximately six hours into the journey, while maintaining a cruising altitude of 40,000 feet, the flight crew detected critical technical issues necessitating immediate intervention.
After carefully assessing the aircraft’s condition, the pilots made a strategic decision to divert to the nearest suitable airport. The flight, which had already traversed Moscow’s airspace en route to Birmingham, safely landed at Moscow’s primary airport at 3:20 PM UTC.
Similarly, On July 18, 2024, another Air India flight encountered an emergency situation. Flight AI183, operating on the same Delhi to San Francisco (SFO) route, was compelled to divert to Krasnoyarsk International Airport following a critical fire alarm activation in the cargo compartment housing passenger luggage.
Further, On June 2023, when Air India Flight AI173, a Boeing 777-300ER registered as VT-ALH, experienced a suspected engine malfunction while traversing Russian airspace. The aircraft, carrying 216 passengers and 16 crew members, was strategically diverted to Magadan Airport in Russia.
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