New Delhi [India], June 8 : Air India has said that it will refund journey fare and provide a voucher for future travel to passengers who were stranded for nearly two days in Magadan after their New Delhi-San Francisco flight was diverted to the Russian city following a technical snag in one of its engines.
Air India had sent a ferry flight to Magadan and it landed with the passengers in San Francisco on Thursday.
In a letter to the passengers, the airline said that the pilots received an indication of low oil pressure in one engine and out of caution, they elected to land the aircraft at a nearby airport.
"Please allow me to sincerely apologise, on behalf of Air India, for the extended delay in bringing you to San Francisco. As you are all too aware, the aircraft encountered a technical issue whereby the pilots received an indication of low oil pressure in one engine. Out of caution, they elected to land the aircraft at a nearby airport rather than continue the journey," the letter said.
It said the safety of passengers was the highest priority.
"While the facilities in Magadan, a small city, may not have met the standard we would normally aim to provide, we are grateful for your tolerance and understanding that our local agents and crew did their best under the circumstances. We are also grateful to the residents and business of Magadan for the assistance they provided to a plane full of unexpected visitors at short notice," the letter added.
"As such, we will fully refund the fare for your journey and, in addition, provide you a voucher for future travel on Air India. Although we cannot change the past, I trust that this gesture conveys our sincere regrets for the disruption and inconvenience," it added.
The Air India flight, headed to San Francisco from New Delhi with 216 passengers and 16 crew members was diverted to Magadan in Russia on Tuesday after a technical issue with one of its engines.
As per the airline, Flight AI173D landed safely in San Francisco (SFO) at 0007 hours on June 8, 2023 (local time).
In a statement on Thursday morning, the airline said it had mobilised additional on-ground support at the destination to carry out the smooth clearance formalities for all passengers upon arrival.
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