Stranded Air India Plane Returns To India From Russia's Magadan

The Air India aircraft that had been grounded in the Russian town of Magadan since Tuesday following an engine glitch has landed in Mumbai, as per a spokesperson of the airline.

The flight landed in Mumbai on Saturday evening.

Earlier in the day, the airline confirmed that the plane left Magadan on Saturday morning after necessary engine repairs.

The official further said that the aircraft was checked on all safety parameters and certified serviceable before take-off.

"We can confirm that a defect in the oil system of one of the aircraft's engines has been rectified by our engineering team that flew on a ferry flight to GDX on June 7. The aircraft was checked on all safety parameters and certified serviceable before take-off from GDX today," the airline's spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, an Air India flight, headed to San Francisco from New Delhi with 216 passengers and 16 crew was diverted to Magadan in Russia after a technical issue with one of its engines.

A total of 216 passengers and 16 crew members aboard the aircraft were stranded in the small town till Thursday morning, when the rescue flight sent by Air India took off for their intended destination, San Francisco, from Magadan.

However, Indian passengers stranded in Russia's Magadan have expressed their gratitude to the Russian authorities for their assistance after a reserve flight on Thursday transported all passengers to San Francisco.

However, 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.

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.

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.