Air India on Wednesday said that a reserve plane would be sent for passengers stranded in Russia's Far East port city of Magadan after one of its airliners bound for San Francisco made an emergency landing there on Tuesday.
The Indian carrier added that its ferry flight would take off from Mumbai International Airport on Wednesday and would reach Magadan on Thursday.
The Indian carrier added that its ferry flight would take off from Mumbai International Airport on Wednesday and would reach Magadan on Thursday.
Russia's aviation authority, Rosaviatsia, confirmed that an Air India flight was arriving to pick up the passengers from Magadan at 0300 GMT.
Later on Wednesday, Air India's AI195 took off to deliver essentials and aid for the stranded passengers.
Extending a Helping Hand, Despite Sanctions
An official from the region told Sputnik that the Air India passengers were given food and accommodation furnished by Magadan's hotels.
"Now people are happy, we visited the accommodation centers today. Everyone is happy. Let's hope that they will leave with good impressions of the city of Magadan," the official said.
A total of 216 passengers and 16 crew members were on board the airliner. Among the travellers, more than 40 are US citizens, some are Canadian nationals, and the rest are from different countries, including many from India.
It's worth noting that Air India is owned by Tata Group, whose Tata Steel was among only a handful of Indian companies that jettisoned doing business with Russia in the wake of the Western-imposed sanctions.
To recap, New Delhi has maintained a balanced stance on the Ukraine conflict, calling for diplomacy and negotiations as means of resolving the crisis. Meanwhile, India has refused to ditch its trade and economic ties with Russia, taking into consideration its own interests.